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GS Paper 1 · Set A
UPSC Prelims 2021
100 questions · 2 marks each · Negative marking 1/3
Hard
33%
33 questions
Current affairs
16%
16 questions
Top subject
History
19 questions · 19%
General cut-off
87.54
-4.97 vs prev year
The 2021 General-category Prelims cut-off was 87.54/200 — down 4.97 marks on the previous year. See the full cut-off trend.
Subject breakdown
History
19 (19%)
Polity
19 (19%)
Environment
18 (18%)
Economy
14 (14%)
Science & Technology
12 (12%)
Geography
12 (12%)
Current Affairs
6 (6%)
All 100 questions
100 shownClick any row to read the full question and explanation. 100 of 100 have text so far — marks those.
| #▲ | Topic↕ | Subject↕ | Type↕ | Difficulty↕ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Appointment and Powers of RBI Governor | Economy | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |
| 2 | Social Security and Rights of Casual Workers | Economy | Statement-based | Hard | ↗Read |
| 3 | Macroeconomic Policy Measures During Recession | Economy | Factual single | Easy | ↗Read |
| 4 | Determinants of Market Demand for Goods | Economy | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |
| 5 | Regulation and Features of Urban Cooperative Banks | Economy | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |
| 6 | Factors Influencing Government Bond Yields | Economy | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |
| 7 | Classification of Foreign Direct Investment Components | Economy | Statement-based | Hard | ↗Read |
| 8 | Economic Implications of Currency Devaluation | Economy | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |
| 9 | Impact of Black Money on Government Revenue | Economy | Factual single | Easy | ↗Read |
| 10 | Inflationary Impact of Deficit Financing Options | Economy | Factual single | Easy | ↗Read |
| 11 | Mechanisms Driving Money Multiplier Expansion | Economy | Factual single | Medium | ↗Read |
| 12 | Causes and Drivers of Demand-Pull Inflation | Economy | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |
| 13 | Government Securities Trading Platforms and Registries | Economy | Statement-based | Hard | ↗Read |
| 14 | WaterCredit Microfinance Model for Water and Sanitation | Environment | Statement-based | Hard | ↗Read |
| 15 | Central Bank Function as Lender of Last Resort | Economy | Statement-based | Easy | ↗Read |
| 16 | R2 Code of Practices in Electronics Recycling | Environment | Factual single | Medium | ↗Read |
| 17 | Environmental Impacts of Copper Smelting Plants | Environment | Statement-based | Hard | ↗Read |
| 18 | Applications and Properties of Furnace Oil | S&T | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |
| 19 | Definition of Blue Carbon | Environment | Factual single | Easy | ↗Read |
| 20 | Pioneer Organisms Surviving Without Soil | Environment | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |
| 21 | Botanical Source of Natural Mosquito Repellents | S&T | Factual single | Easy | ↗Read |
| 22 | Marine Ecosystem Primary Producers | Environment | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |
| 23 | Defense Adaptations of Wild Animals | Environment | Statement-based | Easy | ↗Read |
| 24 | Features of the New York Declaration on Forests | Environment | Statement-based | Hard | ↗Read |
| 25 | Sources of Environmental Magnetite Pollution | Environment | Statement-based | Hard | ↗Read |
| 26 | Identification of Filter Feeders | Environment | Factual single | Medium | ↗Read |
| 27 | Rock Weathering in Biogeochemical Cycles | Environment | Factual single | Easy | ↗Read |
| 28 | Classification of Detritivorous Organisms | Environment | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |
| 29 | UNEP Common Carbon Metric Focus | Environment | Factual single | Hard | ↗Read |
| 30 | Symbiotic Relationships Across Diverse Phyla | Environment | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |
| 31 | Architecture and History of Chausath Yogini Temple | History | Statement-based | Hard | ↗Read |
| 32 | Water Harvesting Systems of Ancient Harappan Towns | History | Factual single | Easy | ↗Read |
| 33 | Early English East India Company Factories | History | Statement-based | Hard | ↗Read |
| 34 | Post-Gupta Period Political Kingdoms | History | Statement-based | Hard | ↗Read |
| 35 | Roles and Status of Women in Vijayanagara Empire | History | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |
| 36 | Madanapalle Connection with the National Anthem | History | Factual single | Hard | ↗Read |
| 37 | Archaeological Sites and Material Artifacts | History | Matching pairs | Medium | ↗Read |
| 38 | Foreign Invasions and Medieval Dynasties Timeline | History | Statement-based | Hard | ↗Read |
| 39 | Life and Commemoration of Saint Francis Xavier | History | Statement-based | Hard | ↗Read |
| 40 | Mitakshara and Dayabhaga Legal Systems | History | Statement-based | Hard | ↗Read |
| 41 | Sanskrit Playwrights of Ancient India | History | Factual single | Hard | ↗Read |
| 42 | Women Franchise and Legislative Reservations | History | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |
| 43 | Significance of August 8, 1942 in India | History | Factual single | Easy | ↗Read |
| 44 | Authorship of Songs from Prison | History | Factual single | Hard | ↗Read |
| 45 | Administrative Territorial Hierarchy in Medieval India | History | Factual single | Medium | ↗Read |
| 46 | Founding and History of Bethune Female School | History | Factual single | Medium | ↗Read |
| 47 | Prominent Officers of the Indian National Army | History | Factual single | Easy | ↗Read |
| 48 | Origin and Lineage of Regional Indian States | History | Statement-based | Hard | ↗Read |
| 49 | River Systems and Associated Ancient Rock-Cut Caves | Geography | Factual single | Medium | ↗Read |
| 50 | Proclamation of International Mother Language Day | Curr. Affairs | Statement-based | Hard | ↗Read |
| 51 | Permaculture versus Conventional Chemical Farming | Environment | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |
| 52 | Geographical Origin and Industrial Uses of Palm Oil | Geography | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |
| 53 | Hydrology and Tributaries of the Indus River System | Geography | Factual single | Hard | ↗Read |
| 54 | Saline Lakes of Rajasthan | Geography | Factual single | Easy | ↗Read |
| 55 | Rivers Originating from the Eastern Ghats | Geography | Statement-based | Hard | ↗Read |
| 56 | International Seabed Authority and Deep Sea Mining | Geography | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |
| 57 | Water Efficiency of Major Indian Agricultural Crops | Geography | Factual single | Easy | ↗Read |
| 58 | Wind Systems and Ocean Temperature Distribution | Geography | Statement-based | Hard | ↗Read |
| 59 | Institutional Framework for Climate-Smart Agriculture | Curr. Affairs | Statement-based | Hard | ↗Read |
| 60 | Characteristics of the Tropical Rain Forest Biome | Geography | Factual single | Easy | ↗Read |
| 61 | Factors Regulating Forest Growth in Savannah Biomes | Geography | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |
| 62 | Global Freshwater Distribution on Earth | Geography | Statement-based | Easy | ↗Read |
| 63 | Economic and Ecological Attributes of Moringa and Tamarind | Environment | Statement-based | Hard | ↗Read |
| 64 | Geological Formation of Black Cotton Soil | Geography | Factual single | Easy | ↗Read |
| 65 | Development of Recombinant Vector Vaccines | S&T | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |
| 66 | Mechanisms and Inheritance of Mitochondrial Replacement Therapy | S&T | Statement-based | Hard | ↗Read |
| 67 | Bollgard I and II Transgenic Technologies | S&T | Factual single | Easy | ↗Read |
| 68 | Physics and Thermodynamic Factors inside a Pressure Cooker | S&T | Statement-based | Hard | ↗Read |
| 69 | Culturing Capabilities of Microorganisms in Synthetic Media | S&T | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |
| 70 | Genetic Structure of Adenoviruses versus Retroviruses | S&T | Statement-based | Hard | ↗Read |
| 71 | Chemical Properties of Water as a Universal Solvent | S&T | Factual single | Easy | ↗Read |
| 72 | Technical Comparison of Sodium and LED Street Lamps | S&T | Statement-based | Hard | ↗Read |
| 73 | ACE2 Enzyme Receptor and Viral Pathogenesis | S&T | Factual single | Easy | ↗Read |
| 74 | Bisphenol A Applications in Plastic Manufacturing | Environment | Factual single | Medium | ↗Read |
| 75 | Triclosan Contamination in Personal Care Consumer Products | Environment | Factual single | Medium | ↗Read |
| 76 | Measurement of Astronomical Distances | S&T | Factual single | Easy | ↗Read |
| 77 | Comparison of Indian and British Parliamentary Democracy Models | Polity | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |
| 78 | Administrative Reforms Commissions and Government Departments | Polity | Statement-based | Hard | ↗Read |
| 79 | Constitutional Protection of the Right to Privacy | Polity | Factual single | Easy | ↗Read |
| 80 | Electoral Rules for Contesting Multiple Constituencies | Polity | Statement-based | Hard | ↗Read |
| 81 | UN-Habitat Principles on the Right to the City | Polity | Statement-based | Hard | ↗Read |
| 82 | Legal Procedures and Distinction of Judicial Custody | Polity | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |
| 83 | Legal Framework and Provisions for Parole | Polity | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |
| 84 | Nodal Ministry for the Forest Rights Act | Polity | Factual single | Easy | ↗Read |
| 85 | Uncontrolled Discretionary Power and Article 14 | Polity | Factual single | Medium | ↗Read |
| 86 | Essential Features of the Federal Character of Indian Polity | Polity | Factual single | Easy | ↗Read |
| 87 | Political Theory Definition of the Term State | Polity | Factual single | Medium | ↗Read |
| 88 | Powers of Supreme and High Court Judgments Review | Polity | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |
| 89 | Constitutional Provisions on Indian Citizenship and Domicile | Polity | Statement-based | Easy | ↗Read |
| 90 | Safeguards of Liberty in a Liberal Democracy | Polity | Factual single | Easy | ↗Read |
| 91 | Constitutional Provisions Against the Concentration of Wealth | Polity | Factual single | Easy | ↗Read |
| 92 | Legal Status of the Right to Property in India | Polity | Factual single | Easy | ↗Read |
| 93 | Constitutional Status of India on January 26, 1950 | Polity | Factual single | Medium | ↗Read |
| 94 | Core Meaning of Constitutional Government | Polity | Factual single | Easy | ↗Read |
| 95 | Classification of Indigenous Tribal Languages | History | Factual single | Medium | ↗Read |
| 96 | Constitutional Provisions and Limits of State Civilian Awards | Polity | Statement-based | Hard | ↗Read |
| 97 | Tree City of the World Recognition for Hyderabad | Curr. Affairs | Assertion-Reason | Medium | ↗Read |
| 98 | History and Laureates of Laureus World Sports Awards | Curr. Affairs | Statement-based | Hard | ↗Read |
| 99 | Official Motto and New Sports at the 32nd Summer Olympics | Curr. Affairs | Statement-based | Easy | ↗Read |
| 100 | Rules and Ranking of the ICC World Test Championship | Curr. Affairs | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |