UPSC Prelims 2016 Question Paper & Analysis
Get the UPSC Prelims Previous Year Question (PYQ) Paper with subject-wise trends, difficulty analysis, and detailed model answers — including diagrams, flowcharts, and structured writing for GS.
Subject-wise MCQ Distribution
Difficulty Analysis
Type of questions
Key Insights
- Environment & Ecology, Economy, Science & Technology carried the highest weightage, together accounting for 53% of the paper.
- The paper strongly favoured statement-based questions — multi-statement and assertion-reasoning questions together made up 56% of the paper, making careful reading and elimination especially important.
- The paper was largely easy to moderate in difficulty, with 77% of questions falling in the easy or medium range and only 23% classified as hard.
- Questions were spread across 11 subject areas, making broad syllabus coverage important rather than relying on a few traditionally dominant subjects.
- The question format demanded more than direct recall, with only 44% of questions being direct, while most required evaluating multiple statements or reasoning through assertions.
PYQs with Detailed Answers
- View Answer for: With reference to the economic history of medieval India, the term ‘Araghatta’ refers to -
With reference to the economic history of medieval India, the term ‘Araghatta’ refers to -
- View Answer for: Regarding the taxation system of Krishna Deva, the ruler of Vijayanagar, consider the following statements : The tax rate on land was fixed depending on the quality of the land. Private owners of workshops paid an industries tax.Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Regarding the taxation system of Krishna Deva, the ruler of Vijayanagar, consider the following statements :
- The tax rate on land was fixed depending on the quality of the land.
- Private owners of workshops paid an industries tax.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- View Answer for: Banjaras during the medieval period of Indian history were generally -
Banjaras during the medieval period of Indian history were generally -
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