Prepare for the UPSC exam by reviewing previous years’ question papers. Here are a few questions from previous years’ UPSC exam question papers, with the answers, so that you are ready to take the government exam. Go through the list of questions (with answers) that we’ve selected from previous years’ UPSC exam papers, and then attempt our quiz at the bottom.

General awareness

1. Which one of the following was a very important seaport in the Kakatiya kingdom?

(A) Kakinada

(B) Motupalli

(C) Machilipatnam

(D) Nelluru

Ans: B

2. Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) is a standard criterion for:

(A) Measuring oxygen levels in blood

(B) Computing oxygen levels in forest ecosystem

(C) Pollution assay in aquatic ecosystems

(D) Assessing oxygen levels in high altitude regions

Ans: C

3. The term M-STrIPES is sometimes seen in the news in the context of

(A) Captive breeding of Wild Fauna

(B) Maintenance of Tiger Reserve

(C) Indigenous Satellite Navigation System

(D) Security of National Highways

Ans: B

4. The provision of Fifth and Sixth schedule of the constitution of India are made in order to

(A) protects the interests of Scheduled Tribes

(B) determine the boundaries between States

(C) determine the powers, authority, and responsibility of Panchayats

(D) protect the interest of all the border States

Ans: A

5. Who/Which of the following is the custodian of Constitution of India?

(A) The President of India

(B) The Prime Minister of India

(C) The Lok Sabha Secretariat

(D) The Supreme Court of India

Ans: D

6. H1N1 virus is sometimes mentioned in the news with reference to one of the following diseases?

(A) AIDS

(B) Bird flu

(C) Dengue

(D) Swine flu

Ans: D

CSAT

7. If Sohan, while selling two goats at the same price, makes a profit of 10% on one goat and suffers a loss of 10% on the other.

(A) he makes no profit or not loss.

(B) he makes a profit of 1%.

(C) he suffers a loss of 1%.

(D) he suffers a loss of 2%.

Ans: C

8. A businessman had to refund a loan in some equal instalments without interest. After paying 18 instalments he found that 60% of his loan was refunded. How many instalments were there in the agreement?

(A) 22

(B) 24

(C) 30

(D) 33

Ans: C

9. Location B is north of A and C is east of A. The distance between AB and AC and 5 km and 12 km, respectively. The shortest distance between location B and C is

(A) 60

(B) 13

(C) 17

(D) 7

Ans: B

10. Four persons, A, B, C, and D, have a total of Rs. 100 among themselves. A and B between them have as much money as C and D between them, but A has more money than B and C has only half the money that D has. A in fact has Rs. 5 more than D has. Who has the maximum amount of money?

(A) A

(B) B

(C) C

(D) D

Ans: A