Today’s UPSC PYQ – 20 Prelims Questions with Answers

September 27, 2026
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Today's UPSC PYQ – 20 Prelims Questions

UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination • GS Paper-I • PYQ Practice

UPSC CSE Prelims GS Paper-I 20 Questions 2026 PYQs
Q1
Which Carnatic raga is comparable to the Hindustani raga Bilawal?
  1. Nat Bhairavi
  2. Kamavardhini
  3. Hanumatodi
  4. Dheera Shankarabharanam
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D
Dheera Shankarabharanam uses the natural major-scale swaras and corresponds closely with Bilawal in Hindustani music.
Q2
The fixed rupee-sterling exchange rate prescribed by the Hilton-Young Commission was adopted mainly for which purpose?
  1. Helping the flow of remittances and maintaining India's creditworthiness
  2. Supporting Indian importers
  3. Encouraging cotton exports
  4. Preventing depreciation of the rupee against gold
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A
The exchange-rate arrangement was closely connected with Britain's financial interests, including remittances and India's sterling obligations.
Q3
References to coins in Pali literature and archaeological evidence of punch-marked coins are associated with which of the following?
  1. Emergence of urban life only
  2. Transition to a money economy only
  3. Both emergence of urban life and transition to a money economy
  4. Neither
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C
Coinage is an important indicator of the Second Urbanisation and the growing use of a monetised economy.
Q4
Which of the following temples have Nagara-style shikharas?

1. Malegitti Shivalaya, Badami
2. Huchimalligudi Temple, Aihole
3. Dashavatara Temple, Deogarh
4. Virupaksha Temple, Pattadakal
  1. 1 and 2
  2. 2 and 3
  3. 3 only
  4. 3 and 4
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B
Huchimalligudi and Dashavatara represent Nagara-style architectural features, while the other two are associated with different architectural forms.
Q5
Consider the following: coal gasification technology can be used in the production of which of these substances?

1. Ethanol
2. Nitroglycerine
3. Urea
  1. Only one
  2. Only two
  3. All three
  4. None
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C
Syngas obtained through coal gasification can serve as a feedstock for several chemical products, including fuels and fertiliser-related products.
Q6
Which of the following best describes the relevant characteristics of advanced explosive compounds such as CL-20, HMX and LLM-105?
  1. High-energy materials
  2. Biofertilisers
  3. Semiconductor materials
  4. Pharmaceutical compounds
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A
These compounds are associated with high-energy explosive materials.
Q7
With reference to the Minerals Security Partnership, which of the following statements is/are correct?
  1. It concerns critical minerals and their secure supply chains
  2. It is exclusively a South Asian initiative
  3. It deals only with fossil fuels
  4. It is a UN specialised agency
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A
The partnership focuses on critical minerals and resilient, diversified supply chains.
Q8
Which of the following is/are sources of income for the Reserve Bank of India?

1. Buying and selling government bonds
2. Buying and selling foreign currency
3. Pension fund management
4. Lending to private companies
5. Printing and distributing currency notes
  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 1, 2 and 5
  4. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D
The question tests the different income-generating functions associated with RBI operations and services.
Q9
With reference to investments, which of the following are treated as Alternative Investment Funds?

1. Bonds
2. Hedge funds
3. Stocks
4. Venture capital
  1. Only one
  2. Only two
  3. Only three
  4. All four
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B
Hedge funds and venture-capital funds can fall within the AIF framework; ordinary bonds and listed stocks are not themselves AIFs.
Q10
Which of the following statements regarding agricultural income-tax treatment in India is correct?
  1. Agricultural income is entirely governed by the Union Government
  2. States have constitutional authority regarding agricultural income taxation
  3. Only local governments can tax agricultural income
  4. Agricultural income is constitutionally prohibited from taxation
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D
The question tests the constitutional distribution of taxation powers relating to agricultural income.
Q11
Which of the following statements correctly describes the Sagarmala Programme?
  1. It seeks port-led development through improved coastal infrastructure and connectivity
  2. It is limited to inland waterways
  3. It is exclusively a fisheries programme
  4. It is a defence-only infrastructure programme
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A
Sagarmala aims to promote port-led development and improve logistics and coastal connectivity.
Q12
With reference to the Reserve Bank of India, which one of the following is an important function associated with its monetary and financial operations?
  1. Managing monetary policy and regulating specified aspects of the financial system
  2. Preparing the Union Budget
  3. Conducting parliamentary elections
  4. Administering state legislatures
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A
Monetary policy and regulation of the banking and financial system are core RBI responsibilities.
Q13
Which of the following is the most appropriate description of an Alternative Investment Fund?
  1. A privately pooled investment vehicle falling within the SEBI AIF framework
  2. A government department
  3. A conventional savings-bank deposit
  4. A mandatory public pension account
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A
AIFs are privately pooled investment vehicles regulated under the SEBI framework, subject to specified exclusions.
Q14
Which of the following is associated with the Second Urbanisation in ancient India?
  1. Expansion of towns and monetisation in the Gangetic region
  2. Only the decline of agriculture
  3. Exclusive dependence on pastoralism
  4. Disappearance of long-distance trade
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A
The Second Urbanisation was accompanied by expanding settlements, trade, craft production and increasing use of coinage.
Q15
Which architectural feature is most closely associated with the Nagara style of temple architecture?
  1. Curvilinear shikhara
  2. Pyramidal vimana as the defining tower
  3. Large gopuram as the principal superstructure
  4. Only rock-cut architecture
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A
The curvilinear shikhara is a characteristic feature of Nagara temple architecture.
Q16
Which one of the following best explains the significance of critical minerals?
  1. They are important for strategic industries and modern technologies while facing supply-chain risks
  2. They are used only in agriculture
  3. They have no industrial applications
  4. They are synonymous with fossil fuels
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A
Critical minerals are essential for technologies such as batteries, electronics, renewable-energy systems and defence applications.
Q17
Which of the following statements best describes coal gasification?
  1. Conversion of coal into a gaseous mixture that can serve as chemical feedstock
  2. Direct conversion of coal into crude oil only
  3. Complete elimination of carbon from coal
  4. Conversion of coal directly into electricity without an intermediate process
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A
Gasification converts coal into syngas, which can be further processed for fuels, chemicals and fertiliser-related applications.
Q18
In the context of UAVs, which statement is correct?
  1. All UAVs are capable of vertical landing
  2. All UAVs can automatically hover
  3. All UAVs necessarily use batteries as their only power source
  4. These capabilities vary according to UAV design
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D
UAV capabilities depend on their configuration and propulsion system; the statements cannot be universally applied to all UAVs.
Q19
Which of the following materials is generally associated with lithium-ion battery cathodes?
  1. Graphite only
  2. Lithium, nickel and cobalt-based compounds
  3. Pure aluminium only
  4. Silicon carbide only
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B
Lithium-ion battery cathode chemistries can include lithium combined with metals such as nickel and cobalt; graphite is generally used as an anode material.
Q20
Which of the following best explains why critical-mineral supply chains have strategic importance?
  1. Modern technologies and clean-energy systems depend on several of these minerals
  2. They are required only for traditional agriculture
  3. They have no relevance to manufacturing
  4. They are available uniformly across all countries
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A
Concentrated reserves, processing capacity and growing technology demand make critical-mineral supply chains strategically important.
Source & Verification
Questions are based on UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination GS Paper-I. The official UPSC archive lists the 2026 General Studies Paper-I question paper.

View UPSC CSE 2026 Official Examination Page
UPSC Prelims PYQ Library
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