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

General awareness

1. Which one of the following is the process involved in photosynthesis?

(A) Potential energy is released to form free energy

(B) Free energy is converted into potential energy and stored

(C) Food is oxidized to release carbon dioxide and water

(D) Oxygen is taken and carbon dioxide and water vapour are given out

Ans: B

2. With reference to the Union Budget, which of the following is/are covered under non-plan expenditure?

1. Defence Expenditure

2. Interest Payment

3. Salaries and pensions

4. Subsidies

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(A) 1 only

(B) 2 and 3 only

(C) 1, 2, 3, and 4

(D) None

Ans: C

3. Ibadat Khana at Fatehpur Sikri was

(A) the mosque for use of Royal Family

(B) Akbar’s private prayer chamber

(C) the hall in which Akbar held discussions with scholars of various religions

(D) the room in which nobles belonging to different religions gathered to discuss religious affairs

Ans: C

4. Among the following organisms, which one does NOT belong to the class of the other three?

(A) Crab

(B) Mite

(C) Scorpion

(D) Spider

Ans: A

5. The function of heavy water in a nuclear reactor is to

(A) Slow down the speed of neutrons

(B) Increase the speed of neutrons

(C) Cool down the reactor

(D) Stop the nuclear reaction

Ans: A

6. A married couple adopted a male child. The blood group of the couple is AB positive and O negative. The blood group of the adopted son is

(A) O positive

(B) A positive

(C) B positive

(D) Cannot be determined on the basis of the given data

Ans: D

CSAT

7. A round archery target of diameter 1 m is marked with four scoring regions from the centre outwards as red, blue, yellow and white. The radius of the red band is 0.20 m. The width of all the remaining bands is equal. If archers throw arrows towards the target, what is the probability that the arrows fall in the red region of the archery target?

(A) 0.40

(B) 0.20

(C) 0.16

(D) 0.04

Ans: C

8. In a class of 60 students, where the number of girls is twice that of boys, Kamal, a boy ranked seventeenth from the top. If there are 9 girls ahead of Kamal, the number of boys in rank after him is:

(A) 13

(B) 12

(C) 7

(D) 3

Ans: B

9. 30 g of sugar was mixed in 180 ml water in a vessel A, 40 g of sugar was mixed in 280 ml of water in vessel B and 20 g of sugar was mixed in 100 ml of water in vessel C. The solution in vessel B is:

(A) sweeter than that in C

(B) sweeter than that in A

(C) as sweet as that in C

(D) less sweet than that in C

Ans: D

10. There are five persons in a group – P, Q, R, S and T. The group has one doctor, one lawyer and one artist. P and S are unmarried students. T is a man married to one of the group members. Q is the brother of P and is neither doctor nor artist. R is not a doctor. Who is the doctor?

(A) T

(B) P

(C) Q

(D) R

Ans: A