UPSC 2025 Geography Previous Year Questions

Question 1

Consider the following pairs: Region - Country I. Mallorca - Italy II. Normandy - Spain III. Sardinia - France In how many of the above rows is the given information correctly matched?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: D. Only one | Only two | All the three | None. Mallorca is in Spain, Normandy in France, and Sardinia in Italy. None of the given country pairings is correct.

Question 2

Consider the following pairs: Country - Resource-rich in I. Botswana - Diamond II. Chile - Lithium III. Indonesia - Nickel In how many of the above rows is the given information correctly matched?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: C. Only one | Only two | All the three | None. Botswana is diamond-rich, Chile is lithium-rich and Indonesia is nickel-rich. All three matches are correct.

Question 3

Who among the following was the founder of the 'Self-Respect Movement'?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: A. 'Periyar' E. V. Ramaswamy Naicker | Dr. B. R. Ambedkar | Bhaskarrao Jadhav | Dinkarrao Javalkar. The Self-Respect Movement was founded by Periyar E. V. Ramaswamy Naicker.

Question 4

Consider the following statements I. Anadyr in Siberia and Nome in Alaska are a few kilometers from each other, but when people are waking up and getting set for breakfast in these cities, it would be different days. II. When it is Monday in Anadyr, it is Tuesday in Nome. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: A. I only | II only | Both I and II | Neither I nor II. Anadyr and Nome are near each other geographically but separated by the International Date Line, so they can be on different dates. If it is Monday in Anadyr, it is generally Sunday in Nome, not Tuesday.

Question 5

Consider the following countries: I. United Kingdom II. Denmark III. New Zealand IV. Australia V. Brazil How many of the above countries have more than four time zones?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: B. All the five | Only four | Only three | Only two. The UK, Denmark, New Zealand and Australia have more than four time zones when overseas territories/dependencies are considered; Brazil does not exceed four in this framing.

Question 6

Consider the following statements: I. Without the atmosphere, temperature would be well below freezing point everywhere on the Earth's surface. II. Heat absorbed and trapped by the atmosphere maintains our planet's average temperature. III. Atmosphere's gases, like carbon dioxide, are particularly good at absorbing and trapping radiation. Which of the statements given above are correct?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: C. I and III only | I and II only | I, II and III | II and III only. The atmosphere traps heat and greenhouse gases absorb radiation; without it, Earth would be far colder. All three statements are correct.

Question 7

Consider the following statements: Statement I: In the context of effect of water on rocks, chalk is known as very permeable rock whereas clay is known as quite an impermeable or least permeable rock. Statement II: Chalk is porous and hence can absorb water. Statement III: Clay is not at all porous. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: C. Both Statement II and Statement III are correct and both of them explain Statement I | Both Statement II and Statement III are correct but only one of them explains Statement I | Only one of the Statements II and III is correct and that explains Statement I | Neither Statement II nor Statement III is correct. Chalk is porous/permeable and absorbs water, while clay is porous but has very low permeability. Thus only Statement II is correct and explains why chalk is permeable.

Question 8

Consider the following statements: Statement I: In January, in the Northern Hemisphere, the isotherms bend equatorward while crossing the landmasses, and poleward while crossing the oceans. Statement II: In January, the air over the oceans is warmer than that over the landmasses in the Northern Hemisphere. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: A. Both Statement I and Statement II are correct and Statement II explains Statement I | Both Statement I and Statement II are correct but Statement II does not explain Statement I | Statement I is correct but Statement II is not correct | Statement I is not correct but Statement II is correct. In Northern Hemisphere winter, land is colder than ocean, so isotherms bend equatorward over land and poleward over oceans. Statement II explains Statement I.

Question 9

Consider the following statements: Statement I: The amount of dust particles in the atmosphere is more in subtropical and temperate areas than in equatorial and polar regions. Statement II: Subtropical and temperate areas have less dry winds. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: C. Both Statement I and Statement II are correct and Statement II explains Statement I | Both Statement I and Statement II are correct but Statement II does not explain Statement I | Statement I is correct but Statement II is not correct | Statement I is not correct but Statement II is correct. Dust is generally higher in subtropical and temperate dry regions than equatorial/polar regions. Statement II is wrong because such regions are associated with dry winds; hence Statement I

Question 10

Which of the following are the evidences of the phenomenon of continental drift? I. The belt of ancient rocks from Brazil coast matches with those from Western Africa. II. The gold deposits of Ghana are derived from the Brazil plateau when the two continents lay side by side. III. The Gondwana system of sediments from India is known to have its counterparts in six different landmasses of the Southern Hemisphere. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: C. I and III only | I and II only | I, II and III | II and III only. Matching ancient rock belts, Ghana gold linkage with Brazil when continents were joined, and Gondwana sediment correlations are classic evidence for continental drift.

UPSC 2025 Geography PYQs with Answers