UPSC Mains PYQs on Location of Industries (GS Paper 1)
Every UPSC Mains question on Location of Industries between 2013 and 2025 is listed below, newest year first, with the marks it carried. Filter by microtheme to see one idea across all the years.
By Team MaargX UPSC · UPSC Mains 2013-2025
Short answer: UPSC has asked 23 questions on Location of Industries (syllabus item 13 of GS Paper 1) between 2013 and 2025, worth 270 marks in all, about 1.9 questions a year. The most-asked microthemes are Primary sector (9), Secondary sector (8), Tertiary sector (5), Land use planning (1). The busiest year was 2019 (3 questions, 35 marks).
UPSC syllabus, GS Paper 1, item 13: Factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India).
Find Questions by GS Paper, Syllabus Topic and Microtheme
Step 1 paper → Step 2 syllabus topic → Step 3 subject → Step 4 microtheme. Each step opens after the one before it.
Location of Industries: questions year-wise with marks
2025 2 questions · 25 marks
-
What are non-farm primary activities? How are these activities related to physiographic features in India? Discuss with suitable examples.
-
How can Artificial Intelligence (AI) and drones be effectively used along with GIS and RS techniques in locational and areal planning?
2023 1 question · 15 marks
-
From being net food importer in 1960s, India has emerged as a net food exporter to the world. Provide reasons.
2022 2 questions · 30 marks
-
Describing the distribution of rubber producing countries, indicate the major environmental issues faced by them.
-
Mention the significance of straits and isthmus in international trade.
2021 1 question · 10 marks
-
Despite India being one of the countries of the Gondwanaland, its mining industry contributes much less to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in percentage. Discuss.
2020 1 question · 15 marks
-
Account for the present location of iron and steel industries away from the source of raw material, by giving examples.
2019 3 questions · 35 marks
-
Can the strategy of regional-resource based manufacturing help in promoting employment in India?
-
Discuss the factors for localization of agro-based food processing industries of North-West India.
-
How can the mountain ecosystem be restored from the negative impact of development initiatives and tourism?
2018 3 questions · 40 marks
-
Define blue revolution, explain the problems and strategies for pisciculture development in India.
-
What is the significance of Industrial Corridors in India? Identify industrial corridors, explain their main characteristics.
-
Why is Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) needed? How does it help in navigation?
2017 3 questions · 35 marks
-
In spite of adverse environmental impact, coal mining is still inevitable for development." Discuss.
-
Mention the advantages of the cultivation of pulse because of which the year 2016 was declared as the International Year of Pulses by the United Nations.
-
Petroleum refineries are not necessarily located nearer to crude oil producing areas, particularly in many of the developing countries. Explain its implications.
2016 1 question · 12.5 marks
-
Enumerate the problems and prospects of inland water transport in India.
2015 1 question · 12.5 marks
-
The states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand reaching the limits of their ecological carrying capacity due to tourism. Critically evaluate.
2014 3 questions · 30 marks
-
Whereas the British planters had developed tea gardens all along the Shivaliks and Lesser Himalayas from Assam to Himachal Pradesh, in effect they did not succeed beyond the Darjeeling area. Explain.
-
Why did the Green Revolution in India virtually by-pass the eastern region despite fertile soil and good availability of water?
-
Account for the change in the spatial pattern of the Iron and Steel industry in the world.
2013 2 questions · 10 marks
-
Analyze the factors for highly decentralized cotton textile industry in India
-
Do you agree that there is a growing trend of opening new sugar mills in the Southern states of India? Discuss with justification
No question matches these choices. Try another year or microtheme, or reset.
Location of Industries at a Glance
| Syllabus item | GS Paper 1, item 13 (Geography) |
|---|---|
| Questions asked | 23 (2013-2025), about 1.9 a year |
| Total marks | 270 marks |
| Last five years | 6 questions, 80 marks (2021-2025) |
| Usual weight | 10 marks (10 questions) |
| Directive words | Discuss (5), Explain (4), Enumerate (1), Evaluate (1) |
| Busiest year | 2019 (3 questions, 35 marks) |
Year-Wise Summary
| Year | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 25 marks |
| 2023 | 1 | 15 marks |
| 2022 | 2 | 30 marks |
| 2021 | 1 | 10 marks |
| 2020 | 1 | 15 marks |
| 2019 | 3 | 35 marks |
| 2018 | 3 | 40 marks |
| 2017 | 3 | 35 marks |
| 2016 | 1 | 12.5 marks |
| 2015 | 1 | 12.5 marks |
| 2014 | 3 | 30 marks |
| 2013 | 2 | 10 marks |
| Total | 23 | 270 marks |
Microthemes in Location of Industries
These are the ideas inside this topic, most asked first. Select one to see all its questions year-wise with marks.
- Primary sector 9 · 105 marks
- Secondary sector 8 · 85 marks
- Tertiary sector 5 · 65 marks
- Land use planning 1 · 15 marks
Other Topics in GS Paper 1
- 01. Indian Art, Culture and Literature 33 · 380 marks
- 02. Modern Indian History 20 · 230 marks
- 03. Freedom Struggle 10 · 125 marks
- 04. Post-Independence Consolidation 11 · 127.5 marks
- 05. World History 17 · 207.5 marks
- 06. Indian Society and Diversity 18 · 220 marks
- 07. Women, Population and Poverty 22 · 262.5 marks
- 08. Urbanisation 15 · 182.5 marks
- 09. Globalisation and Indian Society 10 · 135 marks
- 10. Social Empowerment, Communalism, Regionalism and Secularism 19 · 232.5 marks
- 11. World Physical Geography 23 · 252.5 marks
- 12. Distribution of Natural Resources 13 · 157.5 marks
- 14. Geophysical Phenomena 12 · 122.5 marks
- 15. Geographical Features and Their Changes 24 · 300 marks
How to Use Mains PYQs Topic Wise
- Start with the microthemes. Open a topic and read its microtheme list. The ones with the most questions are the ideas UPSC returns to.
- Read the demand words. Note how questions begin: discuss, examine, critically analyse, comment. Each asks for a different answer structure.
- Write by marks. A 10-mark question needs a tight answer of about 150 words, and a 15-mark question about 250 words.
- Cover all years of a microtheme. Write the oldest and the latest question on the same microtheme, and see how the angle changed.
- Revise and rewrite. Revise the topic from the notes, and write the same question again after a week.
For the method in full, read the Mains answer writing strategy. The official papers are on our UPSC PYQs page.
Questions are shown as printed in the UPSC Civil Services (Main) General Studies papers of 2013-2025. The grouping into topics and microthemes is by Team MaargX UPSC. Check any wording against the official paper on upsc.gov.in.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many UPSC Mains questions have been asked on Location of Industries?
23 questions on Location of Industries appeared in UPSC Mains GS Paper 1 between 2013 and 2025, worth 270 marks in all. That is about 1.9 questions a year. Every one of them is listed on this page, year-wise with its marks.
Which Location of Industries microthemes does UPSC ask most often?
The most-asked microthemes in Location of Industries are Primary sector (9), Secondary sector (8), Tertiary sector (5), Land use planning (1). The number in brackets is how many questions each has had since 2013. Use the microtheme filter to see all of them together, year by year, with marks.
In which year was Location of Industries asked the most in UPSC Mains?
The busiest year for Location of Industries was 2019 (3 questions, 35 marks). The lightest was 2023 (1 questions, 15 marks). Treat these swings as noise: UPSC does not repeat a fixed pattern, so cover the whole topic.
How many marks do Location of Industries questions carry?
Of the 23 questions on Location of Industries, 9 of 15 marks, 2 of 12.5 marks, 10 of 10 marks, 2 of 5 marks. Plan your word limit by marks: 10-marker answers run to about 150 words and 15-marker answers to about 250 words.
What kind of questions does UPSC ask on Location of Industries?
The directive words in the 23 questions on Location of Industries are Discuss (5), Explain (4), Enumerate (1), Evaluate (1). Match your answer to the word: discuss and examine want both sides with a conclusion, while comment and critically analyse want a reasoned stand.
Is Location of Industries important for UPSC Mains?
In the last five years (2021-2025) UPSC asked 6 questions on Location of Industries, worth 80 marks. In the first five years (2013-2017) it asked 10, worth 100 marks.
Which GS paper does Location of Industries belong to?
Location of Industries belongs to UPSC Mains GS Paper 1, titled Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society. The questions on this page are all from that paper.
How should I use these Location of Industries PYQs?
Read the microtheme list first, then pick one and write two or three answers in the time limit. Compare each with what the question demands (discuss, examine, critically analyse). Revise the topic from the Maarg Manthan notes and write the same question again after a week.
Official Sources
These are the primary sources behind this page. Rules, dates and papers can change, so confirm them on the official pages.
- UPSC: Previous Year Question Papers
- UPSC: Previous Year Question Papers (Archives)
- UPSC: Revised Syllabus and Scheme
- UPSC: Civil Services Examination Rules