UPSC PRELIMS · 2024

UPSC Prelims 2024: sample questions with answers

2024 pushed 'how many of the above' formats hard — a format that punishes half-knowledge. Five representative questions:

Q1PYQ 2024International

Consider the following statements: Statement-I: There is instability and worsening security situation in the Sahel region. Statement-II: There have been military takeovers in several countries of the Sahel region in the recent past.

Choose an answer to see the explanation.

Answer: Both statements are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I. Coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger drove the Sahel's deteriorating security — both true, causally linked. The two-statement format tests reasoning about the link, not just facts.

Q2PYQ 2024Geography

With reference to 'water vapour', which of the following statements is/are correct?

1It is a gas, the quantity of which decreases with altitude.
2Its percentage is maximum at the poles.

Choose an answer to see the explanation.

Answer: 1 only. Water vapour concentrates in the warm lower troposphere and declines with altitude (true); it peaks in the warm tropics, not the cold poles (false). Physical-geography fundamentals still decide marks.

Q3PYQ 2024Economy

With reference to the sectors of the Indian economy, consider the following pairs: (1) Storage of agricultural produce — Secondary sector, (2) Dairy farm — Primary sector, (3) Mineral exploration — Tertiary sector, (4) Weaving cloth — Secondary sector. How many of the pairs are correctly matched?

Choose an answer to see the explanation.

Answer: Only two. Dairy farming is primary and weaving is secondary (both correct). Storage is a service (tertiary, not secondary) and mineral exploration is part of mining (primary). 'How many' formats give no partial credit for half-knowledge.

Q4PYQ 2024Art & Culture

Which one of the following was the latest inclusion in the Intangible Cultural Heritage List of UNESCO?

Choose an answer to see the explanation.

Answer: Garba of Gujarat. Garba was inscribed in December 2023 — the 'latest' qualifier makes this a current-affairs question wearing a culture costume. All four options are real Indian inscriptions; recency is the discriminator.

Q5PYQ 2024Defence & Security

Consider the following aircraft: (1) Rafale, (2) MiG-29, (3) Tejas Mk-1. How many of the above are considered fifth-generation fighter aircraft?

Choose an answer to see the explanation.

Answer: None. Rafale and Tejas are 4.5-generation; the MiG-29 is fourth-generation. None qualify as fifth-generation (stealth-class like the F-35). A confident 'None' is sometimes the answer — don't fear it.

Want the complete 2024 paper as a PDF, not just these five questions? Download GS Paper I (2024) direct from upsc.gov.in →

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100 questions, 120 minutes, negative marking — exactly like exam day, with explanations after.

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