95 previous year UPSC Prelims questions on the UPSC 2018 Prelims. Choose an option to see the answer and explanation.
Explanations state facts as of the year each question was asked; words like “recently” refer to that year.
Showing 71–80 of 95 questions
The Government of India Act, 1935 divided powers between the Centre and provinces into three lists: Federal (59 items), Provincial (54 items), and Concurrent (36 items). It granted residuary powers to the Governor-General, who could authorize either legislature to legislate on such matters.
Prosopis juliflora, or mesquite, is a leguminous flowering plant native to South America. It has become invasive in regions like India, Africa, and the Middle East, where it competes with native species for water and nutrients, threatening local bio-diversity.
The Goods and Services Tax (GST) in India classifies goods and services into various tax slabs, with certain essential items exempted to ensure affordability.
Option (c) is correct:
Unprocessed cereal grains including those that are hulled are exempted from GST as they are considered basic food staples. Cooked eggs are exempt from GST aligning with the tax exemption on basic food products. Newspapers irrespective of whether they contain advertising material are exempt from GST to support the dissemination of information. Processed and canned fish are subject to GST as they are considered value-added products
Under British rule, Indian agriculture became increasingly commercialized. The traditional subsistence farming was replaced by large-scale cultivation of crops such as cotton, indigo, and jute for export purposes, often to meet the needs of British industries. Options (a), (b) and (d) are incorrect:
Indian handicrafts suffered during British rule due to the influx of cheap machine-made British goods, which displaced local handicrafts in domestic and international markets. The number of Indian-owned factories was very limited during the 19th century. Most of the industries, including textile mills, were controlled by the British. The urban population did not see a rapid increase during British rule. While some cities grew due to British administrative and military needs, the overall urbanization rate was low compared to European countries. Moreover, much of India’s population remained rural, engaged in agriculture.
British rule harm India, not positively impacted it. Options A, B and D indicates positive outcomes while C the odd one out is negative impact, turning food crops into cash crops, making peasants vulnerable to market fluctuations and famine. Hence
option C likely correct.
The East India Company was originally formed in Britain for pursuing trade with the East Indies in Southeast Asia. It ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China, where the main items of trade were cotton, silk, tea and opium. Also Bengal produced saltpeter, a key ingredient for making gunpowder, which was in high demand for both domestic use and export.
Kodaikanal Lake, also known as Kodai Lake is a man-made lake (artificial) located in the Kodaikanal city in Dindigul district in Tamil Nadu, India. The lake was built in 1863, in the middle of Kodaikanal town. Sir Vere Henry Levinge, the then Collector of Madurai, had a key role in its construction. The lake is star-shaped, centrally located in the town of Kodaikanal and is surrounded by lush green hills of the northwestern Palani Hills range. It is fed by several small streams from the Palani Hills.
Option (b), (c) and (d) are incorrect:
Kolleru Lake is a large, natural, shallow freshwater lake located in the northeastern part of Andhra Pradesh, between the Krishna and Godavari deltas. It is designated as a Ramsar Wetland Site due to its ecological importance. It is a natural lake formed by the accumulation of river waters and is a major habitat for migratory birds. Nainital lake is a natural lake and was formed due to tectonic movements. It is a natural, kidney-shaped, tectonic lake formed due to geological movements. It is part of the Kumaon Lake Region and is a popular tourist destination. The Renuka Lake is located in Himachal Pradesh and holds cultural and spiritual significance. It is regarded as the embodiment of Renukaji, the wife of sage Jamadagini and mother of Parshuram. This placid stretch of water is fed by underground springs and the surrounding hills are padded by lush forests that support a large variety of plant and animal life.
Statement 1 is correct: Barren Island is India’s only active volcano and is located in the Andaman Sea, within the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It belongs to the volcanic arc of the Sunda Trench and is part of the Andaman Subduction Zone which makes it seismically active.
Statement 2 is incorrect: Barren Island is located about 140 km northeast of Port Blair (the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands), not Great Nicobar. Great Nicobar is located far south of the Andaman Islands, whereas Barren Island is in the northern Andaman Sea.
Statement 3 is incorrect: The Barren Island volcano has erupted multiple times after 1991. Significant eruptions were recorded in 1994-1995, 2005, 2009, and most recently in 2017-2018. Thus, it has not remained inactive since 1991.
When S1 says its active volcano and S3 says its inactive since approx 27 years, that means both statements clearly contradicts. Its a active volcano is a well known fact as being the "only" active one in India, thus S3 is more likely false, giving
option A as correct.
In 2016, India introduced a 6% Equalization Levy targeting income from online advertisement services provided by non-resident entities to Indian businesses. This measure aimed to tax digital transactions and level the playing field between domestic and foreign service providers. In 2020 it was expanded to include a 2% levy on e-commerce transactions by non-resident operators.
Statement 1 is incorrect: The Equalization Levy was introduced through the Finance Act, 2016 as a separate chapter and is not part of the Income Tax Act. This distinction ensures that the levy operates independently of the existing income tax framework.
Statement 2 is incorrect: Non-resident entities cannot claim a tax credit for this levy in their home countries which can potentially lead to double taxation. It doesn’t fall within the scope of Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements (DTAAs). Its exclusion from the Income Tax Act raises challenges regarding international tax credits and potential double taxation for foreign entities.
Wood’s Dispatch (1854) is known as the Magna Carta of English Education in India. Under this government was to take up the responsibility for the Education of masses. It provided for hierarchy of Educational Institutions i.e. three tier education system. It also emphasised on Female, Vocational Education and teachers’ training. The Dispatch proposed secular education in Government Institutions.
Statement 1 is correct: The Despatch advocated for the introduction of a Grants-in-Aid system to encourage private and missionary enterprises in education. Under this scheme, financial assistance was provided to educational institutions that met certain standards thereby promoting the expansion and improvement of education.
Statement 2 is correct: It systematised the hierarchy from vernacular primary schools in villages at bottom, followed by Anglo-Vernacular High Schools and an affiliated college at the district level and affiliating universities in the presidency towns of Calcutta, Bombay and Madras.
Statement 3 is incorrect: The Woods Dispatch recommended English as the Medium of Instruction in higher studies and vernaculars language in at school level.
S3 overreaches in its claim -- while English may have been promoted at the higher levels of education to train clerks and administrators, recommending it as the medium of instruction "at all levels" is logically flawed and pedagogically impractical. For primary and vernacular schooling, such a policy would have been both unfeasible and counterproductive, especially in rural colonial India. Hence likely false.
Statement 1 is correct: The idea of supporting educated Indians and promoting knowledge of contemporary sciences in the country was enshrined into the Charter Act of 1813. The Charter Act of 1813 permitted Christian missionaries to propagate English and preach their religion. It mandated the company to allocate one lakh rupees annually for the revival and improvement of literature and the promotion of science among the inhabitants of British India. The Act emphasized the need to educate Indians in Western sciences and literature which indirectly laid the foundation for English education.
Statement 2 is correct: A "General Committee of Public Instruction" was established by the Governor-General-in-Council in 1823 with the task of allocating one lakh rupees for educational purposes under the Presidentship of Lord Macaulay. Lord Macaulay’s Minute resolved the debate in favor of the Anglicists, directing the limited government resources toward the teaching of Western sciences and literature through the medium of the English language.
Statement 3 is correct: The Orientalist-Anglicist Controversy in the early 19th century centered on the medium and content of education in India. Orientalists led by scholars like H.T. Prinsep advocated for preserving traditional Indian knowledge through Sanskrit, Persian, and Arabic. Anglicists led by Thomas Babington Macaulay, pushed for English education to create a class of Indians who were culturally English but Indian by birth. The debate culminated in Macaulay’s Minute of 1835 which favored English education. Governor-General Lord William Bentinck endorsed this view thereby officially making English the medium of instruction in higher education.
| Q | UPSC year | Correct answer |
|---|---|---|
| 71 | 2018 | (b) Governor General |
| 72 | 2018 | (b) It tends to reduce the biodiversity in the area in which it grows. |
| 73 | 2018 | (c) 1, 2 and 4 only |
| 74 | 2018 | (c) commercialization of Indian agriculture |
| 75 | 2018 | (d) Cotton, silk, saltpeter and opium |
| 76 | 2018 | (a) Kodaikanal (Tamil Nadu) |
| 77 | 2018 | (a) 1 only |
| 78 | 2018 | (d) Neither 1 nor 2 |
| 79 | 2018 | (a) 1 and 2 only |
| 80 | 2018 | (d) 1, 2 and 3 |
This page covers 95 previous year UPSC Prelims GS Paper-I questions on the UPSC 2018 Prelims, asked from 1995 to 2025. Each has the correct answer and an explanation.
Attempt each question first, then open the answer and read the explanation for every option. Repeat by chapter, and track which statements UPSC reuses across years. Previous year questions show the exam pattern and difficulty level.
Questions on the UPSC 2018 Prelims are available for 31 years, from 1995 to 2025. Use the Year filter to practise a single paper.
