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GS Paper 1 · Set A
UPSC Prelims 2023
100 questions · 2 marks each · Negative marking 1/3
Hard
24%
24 questions
Current affairs
34%
34 questions
Top subject
Science & Technology
16 questions · 16%
General cut-off
75.41
-12.81 vs prev year
The 2023 General-category Prelims cut-off was 75.41/200 — down 12.81 marks on the previous year. See the full cut-off trend.
Subject breakdown
Science & Technology
16 (16%)
Polity
16 (16%)
Geography
14 (14%)
Economy
14 (14%)
Environment
13 (13%)
History
13 (13%)
International Relations
9 (9%)
Current Affairs
5 (5%)
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 | Rivers forming lakes — Jhelum/Wular, Krishna/Kolleru, Gandak/Kanwar | Geography | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 2 | Ports — Kamaraj Port, Mundra Port, Visakhapatnam Port descriptions | Geography | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 3 | Deciduous trees — Jackfruit, Mahua, Teak | Environment | How-many counting | Easy | ↗Read |
| 4 | India vs China — arable area, irrigated area proportion, agricultural productivity | Geography | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 5 | Best example of repeated sea level falls giving rise to present-day marshland | Geography | Factual single | Hard | ↗Read |
| 6 | Ilmenite and rutile in coastal tracts — rich source of which element | Geography | Factual single | Medium | ↗Read |
| 7 | Three-fourths of world's cobalt production — which country | Geography | Factual single | Medium | ↗Read |
| 8 | Which country is part of the Congo Basin | Geography | Factual single | Medium | ↗Read |
| 9 | Hill ranges — Amarkantak, Biligirirangan, Seshachalam locations | Geography | How-many counting | Hard | ↗Read |
| 10 | India connectivity projects — Golden Quadrilateral East-West Corridor, Trilateral Highway, BCIM Economic Corridor | Geography | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 11 | India's uranium deposits vs coal dependence for electricity; uranium enrichment level required | S&T | Assertion-Reason | Medium | ↗Read |
| 12 | Marsupials not naturally in India; marsupials thrive only in montane grasslands without predators | Environment | Assertion-Reason | Medium | ↗Read |
| 13 | Invasive Species Specialist Group (Global Invasive Species Database) — which organisation | Environment | Factual single | Medium | ↗Read |
| 14 | Nocturnal fauna — Lion-tailed Macaque, Malabar Civet, Sambar Deer | Environment | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 15 | Which organism performs waggle dance to indicate food direction and distance | S&T | Factual single | Easy | ↗Read |
| 16 | Properties of mushrooms — medicinal, psychoactive, insecticidal, bioluminescent | S&T | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 17 | Indian squirrels — nests/burrows, food storage, omnivorous | Environment | How-many counting | Easy | ↗Read |
| 18 | Extremophile microorganisms — above boiling point, below freezing point, pH below 3 | S&T | How-many counting | Easy | ↗Read |
| 19 | Which animal makes a tool with a stick to scrape insects from a log | Environment | Factual single | Medium | ↗Read |
| 20 | Hydrofluorocarbons used in making — aerosols, foam agents, fire retardants, lubricants | S&T | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 21 | InvITs — interest income tax exemption; SARFAESI Act 2002 recognition as borrowers | Economy | Assertion-Reason | Hard | ↗Read |
| 22 | Post-pandemic central bank interest rate hikes; central banks' ability to counteract inflation via monetary policy | Economy | Assertion-Reason | Medium | ↗Read |
| 23 | Carbon markets as a tool against climate change; carbon markets transfer resources from private to state | Environment | Assertion-Reason | Medium | ↗Read |
| 24 | RBI activity considered part of 'sterilization' | Economy | Factual single | Hard | ↗Read |
| 25 | Capital markets — Government Bond Market, Call Money Market, Treasury Bill Market, Stock Market | Economy | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 26 | Best description of concept 'Small Farmer Large Field' | Economy | Factual single | Hard | ↗Read |
| 27 | Niger (Guizotia abyssinica) — MSP, kharif crop, tribal use of seed oil | Economy | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 28 | Intangible investments — brand recognition, inventory, intellectual property, mailing list | Economy | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 29 | 15th Finance Commission criteria for horizontal tax devolution beyond population, area, income distance | Polity | How-many counting | Hard | ↗Read |
| 30 | UNOPS S3i initiative — infrastructure sectors: affordable housing, mass rapid transport, health care, renewable energy | Economy | How-many counting | Hard | ↗Read |
| 31 | What does 'Due Process of Law' essentially mean | Polity | Factual single | Medium | ↗Read |
| 32 | Prisons managed by State Governments; Prisons Act 1894 kept subject with provincial governments | Polity | Assertion-Reason | Medium | ↗Read |
| 33 | Statement best reflecting chief purpose of a country's Constitution | Polity | Factual single | Easy | ↗Read |
| 34 | Which Constitutional Amendment widely believed to overcome judicial interpretation of Fundamental Rights | Polity | Factual single | Medium | ↗Read |
| 35 | Constitutional bodies — National Commission for Backward Classes, NHRC, National Law Commission, NCDRC | Polity | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 36 | President of India — election void, postponement, time limit for assent to Bill | Polity | How-many counting | Hard | ↗Read |
| 37 | Finance Bill vs Money Bill in Parliament — Rajya Sabha powers, joint sitting | Polity | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 38 | Community Reserve notification — Chief Wildlife Warden, hunting, non-timber forest produce, traditional agriculture | Environment | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 39 | Scheduled Areas — notification by President, largest/smallest unit, annual report to Home Ministry | Polity | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 40 | Article 16(4) reservation policies limited by Article 335; Article 335 defines 'efficiency of administration' | Polity | Assertion-Reason | Hard | ↗Read |
| 41 | Dhanyakataka — prominent Buddhist centre under Mahasanghikas — which region | History | Factual single | Hard | ↗Read |
| 42 | Ancient India stupas — Buddhist origin, repository of relics, votive/commemorative structure | History | How-many counting | Easy | ↗Read |
| 43 | Ancient South India — Korkai, Poompuhar, Muchiri well known as | History | Factual single | Medium | ↗Read |
| 44 | Sangam poem practice 'Vattakirutal' — what it refers to | History | Factual single | Hard | ↗Read |
| 45 | Dynasties establishing kingdoms in early 8th century AD — Hoysala, Gahadavala, Kakatiya, Yadava | History | How-many counting | Hard | ↗Read |
| 46 | Ancient Indian literary works and authors — Devichandragupta/Bilhana, Hammira-Mahakavya/Nayachandra Suri, Milinda-panha/Nagarjuna, Nitivakyamrita/Somadeva Suri | History | How-many counting | Hard | ↗Read |
| 47 | Souls are property of rocks, running water and natural objects — which religious sect of ancient India | History | Factual single | Medium | ↗Read |
| 48 | Vijayanagara ruler who constructed dam across Tungabhadra and canal to capital city | History | Factual single | Hard | ↗Read |
| 49 | Medieval Gujarat ruler who surrendered Diu to Portuguese | History | Factual single | Medium | ↗Read |
| 50 | Act by which Governor General of Bengal designated as Governor General of India | History | Factual single | Easy | ↗Read |
| 51 | Janani Suraksha Yojana — safe motherhood, maternal/neonatal mortality, institutional delivery, sick infants | Curr. Affairs | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 52 | Anaemia Mukt Bharat Strategy — calcium supplementation, cord clamping, deworming, non-nutritional causes | Curr. Affairs | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 53 | Carbon fibres — used in automobiles/aircraft; cannot be recycled once used | S&T | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |
| 54 | Accelerometer function — airbag deployment, laptop hard drive shutdown, smartphone display rotation | S&T | How-many counting | Easy | ↗Read |
| 55 | Biofilters in recirculating aquaculture — waste treatment, ammonia to nitrate, phosphorus increase | S&T | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 56 | Objects in space — Cepheids, Nebulae, Pulsars and their descriptions | S&T | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 57 | Which country has its own Satellite Navigation System | S&T | Factual single | Medium | ↗Read |
| 58 | Ballistic missiles vs cruise missiles; Agni-V vs BrahMos descriptions | S&T | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |
| 59 | Mercury pollution — gold mining, coal thermal plants, no known safe exposure level | Environment | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 60 | Green hydrogen — internal combustion fuel, blended with natural gas, hydrogen fuel cell | S&T | How-many counting | Easy | ↗Read |
| 61 | Countries sharing land border with Ukraine — Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania | Geography | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 62 | Earth's atmosphere — insolation at equator vs poles, infrared rays composition, infrared absorption, spectrum | Geography | Factual single | Medium | ↗Read |
| 63 | Tropical rain forest soil rich in nutrients; high temp and moisture cause rapid decomposition | Geography | Assertion-Reason | Medium | ↗Read |
| 64 | Temperature contrast continents vs oceans greater in summer; specific heat of water vs land | Geography | Assertion-Reason | Medium | ↗Read |
| 65 | Seismic waves — P waves recorded before S waves; P wave vs S wave particle vibration | Geography | Statement-based | Easy | ↗Read |
| 66 | Coal-based thermal power plants in India — seawater use, water-stressed districts, private ownership | Environment | How-many counting | Hard | ↗Read |
| 67 | Wolbachia method — which of the following contexts | S&T | Factual single | Hard | ↗Read |
| 68 | Carbon capture and sequestration activities — ground basalt, alkalising oceans, carbonated water in mines | Environment | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 69 | Aerial metagenomics — what does it best refer to | S&T | Factual single | Hard | ↗Read |
| 70 | Microsatellite DNA — used in which case | S&T | Factual single | Hard | ↗Read |
| 71 | MSMED Act 2006 — medium enterprise definition; all MSME bank loans under priority sector | Economy | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |
| 72 | Central Bank digital currencies — payment without SWIFT/USD; programmable conditions | Economy | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |
| 73 | Finance term 'beta' — what it refers to | Economy | Factual single | Medium | ↗Read |
| 74 | Self-Help Groups — originally by SBI, joint liability, support by RRBs and scheduled commercial banks | Economy | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 75 | India's public sector health care — curative focus; decentralised approach, States responsible for health services | Curr. Affairs | Assertion-Reason | Medium | ↗Read |
| 76 | India extracts over a quarter of world's groundwater (UN World Water Development Report 2022); India's justification for extraction | Environment | Assertion-Reason | Medium | ↗Read |
| 77 | Constitution — Central Govt duty to protect States from internal disturbances; preventive detention and legal counsel; POTA confession as evidence | Polity | How-many counting | Hard | ↗Read |
| 78 | Which country suffering from decades of civil strife and food shortages and in news for severe famine | IR | Factual single | Easy | ↗Read |
| 79 | Biodiversity Management Committees — Nagoya Protocol; power to levy collection fees on biological resources | Environment | Statement-based | Medium | ↗Read |
| 80 | Election to President of India — nominated members in Electoral College, MLA vote value, Madhya Pradesh vs Kerala, Puducherry vs Arunachal Pradesh | Polity | How-many counting | Hard | ↗Read |
| 81 | Alexander Rea, A.H. Longhurst, Robert Sewell, James Burgess, Walter Elliot — associated with which activity in Indian history | History | Factual single | Hard | ↗Read |
| 82 | Cave shrine pairs — Besnagar/Shaivite, Bhaja/Buddhist, Sittanavasal/Jain | History | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 83 | 7th August as National Handloom Day; Swadeshi Movement launched on same day in 1905 | History | Assertion-Reason | Easy | ↗Read |
| 84 | Flag Code of India 2002 — National Flag standard size 600mm × 400mm; length to height ratio 3:2 | Polity | Assertion-Reason | Easy | ↗Read |
| 85 | Constitution Day celebrated on 26 November; 26 Nov 1949 Constituent Assembly set up Drafting Committee under Ambedkar | Polity | Assertion-Reason | Easy | ↗Read |
| 86 | Switzerland — leading gold exporter; has world's second largest gold reserves | Economy | Assertion-Reason | Hard | ↗Read |
| 87 | USA-EU Trade and Technology Council; claim to bring technological progress and physical productivity under their control | IR | Assertion-Reason | Medium | ↗Read |
| 88 | India's share of global export of goods 3.2%; Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme utilised by companies | Economy | Assertion-Reason | Medium | ↗Read |
| 89 | EU Stability and Growth Pact — limits budgetary deficit, sharing infrastructure, sharing technologies | IR | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 90 | Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) — UN adoption, binding obligations, internal migration | IR | How-many counting | Hard | ↗Read |
| 91 | Home Guards — raised under Home Guards Act and Central Government rules, role as police auxiliary, Border Wing battalions | Polity | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 92 | Actions and Acts — unauthorized police/military uniform/Official Secrets Act 1923; misleading police/Evidence Act 1872; celebratory gunfire/Arms Amendment Act 2019 | Polity | How-many counting | Hard | ↗Read |
| 93 | Regions in news — North Kivu & Ituri/Armenia-Azerbaijan war; Nagorno-Karabakh/Mozambique insurgency; Kherson & Zaporizhzhia/Israel-Lebanon dispute | IR | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 94 | Israel established diplomatic relations with Arab states; Arab Peace Initiative signed by Israel and Arab League | IR | Assertion-Reason | Medium | ↗Read |
| 95 | Sports awards — Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award, Dronacharya Award, Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar | Curr. Affairs | How-many counting | Easy | ↗Read |
| 96 | 44th Chess Olympiad 2022 — first in India, mascot Thambi, Vera Menchik Cup, Hamilton-Russell Cup | Curr. Affairs | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 97 | Conflict regions and locations — Donbas/Syria; Kachin/Ethiopia; Tigray/North Yemen | IR | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 98 | Chad, Guinea, Mali and Sudan — common reason for recent international attention | IR | Factual single | Medium | ↗Read |
| 99 | Green hydrogen role in decarbonising — fertilizer plants, oil refineries, steel plants | S&T | How-many counting | Medium | ↗Read |
| 100 | G-20 — originally established as Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors platform; Digital public infrastructure as India's G-20 priority | IR | Statement-based | Easy | ↗Read |