UPSC Prelims World Geography previous year questions from 2025, with answers and explanations.
2025Multi-statement (How Many Style)Geomorphology & Volcanic Features
Consider the following countries:
I. Bolivia
II. Brazil
III. Colombia
IV. Ecuador
V. Paraguay
VI. Venezuela
Andes mountains pass through how many of the above countries?
A.Only two
B.Only three
C.Only four
D.Only five
Explanation: * (c) Only four is correct: The Andes Mountains, the world's longest continental mountain range, extend through seven South American countries. * Among the options provided, the range passes directly through: I. Bolivia, III. Colombia, IV. Ecuador, and VI. Venezuela. * The Andes range does not pass through II. Brazil or V. Paraguay.
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2025Multi-statement (How Many Style)Oceanography & Hydrological Features
Consider the following water bodies:
I. Lake Tanganyika
II. Lake Tonlé Sap
III. Patos Lagoon
Through how many of them does the equator pass?
A.Only one
B.Only two
C.All the three
D.None of the above
Explanation: * (d) None is correct: The Equator does not intersect any of the three listed water bodies. * Lake Tanganyika sits in the Western Rift Valley of East Africa, south of the equator (~3° to 8° S latitude). * Lake Tonlé Sap is a natural freshwater floodplain lake situated in central Cambodia (Northern Hemisphere). * Patos Lagoon is located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in extreme southeastern Brazil, far south of the equatorial line.
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2025Multi-statement (How Many Style)World Political Geography & Borders
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?
A.All the five
B.Only four
C.Only three
D.Only two
Explanation: * United Kingdom (9 time zones): While the UK mainland uses only one time zone, its overseas territories (such as Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Falkland Islands, etc.) make it span across 9 time zones globally. * Denmark (5 time zones): Mainland Denmark adheres to a single time zone, but the Faroe Islands (1 zone) and Greenland (3 zones), which are part of the Danish realm, push its total to 5 time zones. * New Zealand (3 time zones): Its main islands use one time zone, while the Chatham Islands and Tokelau bring the total to three. * Australia (9 time zones): Mainland Australia is divided into 5 standard time zones; including its 3 external dependencies brings the total to 9 time zones. * Brazil (4 time zones): It spans exactly four standard time zones from west to east (Acre, Amazon, Brasília, and Fernando de Noronha time). * Therefore, three countries (UK, Denmark, and Australia) have more than four time zones.
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2025Multi-statement (Traditional Style)World Political Geography & Borders
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?
A.I only
B.II only
C.Both I and II
D.Neither I nor II
Explanation: * Statement I is correct: Anadyr (Siberia) and Nome (Alaska) are separated by a 20-hour time difference despite their geographical proximity, meaning breakfast time occurs on different days of the week in each city. * Statement II is incorrect: The International Date Line (IDL) runs between them. Alaska lies to the east of the IDL and Siberia lies to the west. When traveling westward across the IDL, you gain a day, and when traveling eastward, you lose a day. Therefore, when it is Monday in Anadyr, it is Sunday in Nome, not Tuesday.
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2025Pairs/Matching (How Many Style)Global Demographics & Resources
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?
A.Only one
B.Only two
C.All the three
D.None of the above
Explanation: * Row I is correctly matched: Botswana is home to prominent gem mines and stands as one of the world's largest producers of diamonds. * Row II is correctly matched: Chile is situated within South America's 'Lithium Triangle' and ranks as the world's second-biggest producer of lithium. * Row III is correctly matched: Indonesia holds the world's largest proven nickel reserves, accounting for nearly 30% of the global supply. * Therefore, all three rows are correctly matched.
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2025Pairs/Matching (How Many Style)World Political Geography & Borders
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?
A.Only one
B.Only two
C.All the three
D.None of the above
Explanation: * Row I is incorrectly matched: Mallorca (or Majorca) is the largest of the Balearic Islands and is an autonomous island province of Spain, not Italy. * Row II is incorrectly matched: Normandy is a historic northern coastal region bordering the English Channel in France, not Spain. * Row III is incorrectly matched: Sardinia is a large island region located in the western Mediterranean Sea belonging to Italy, not France. * Therefore, none of the rows are correctly matched.
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