UPSC Prelims 2018 Analysis

Subject wise MCQ distribution

  • Economy (20 Questions): The highest weightage in the paper, covering macroeconomic indicators, policies, and economic development themes. Analytical abilities were essential to interpret trends.
  • Environment & Ecology (15 Questions): A significant presence, likely reflecting UPSC’s increasing focus on climate change, biodiversity, and sustainable development. Maps were useful in location-based questions.
  • Indian Polity (15 Questions): A core subject, testing governance, constitutional provisions, and landmark judgments. Many questions followed an assertion-reasoning pattern.
  • Modern History (13 Questions): A relatively high emphasis on the freedom struggle, key personalities, and movements.
  • Science & Technology (12 Questions): Covered advancements in AI, biotechnology, and space technology, requiring both static and current knowledge.
  • Art & Culture (7 Questions): More weightage than in some later years, indicating an expectation for deeper knowledge of cultural heritage.
  • International Relations (7 Questions): Focused on global organizations, treaties, and India's foreign policy.
  • Medieval History (1 Question): Minimal representation, following the usual trend of fewer medieval history questions.
  • Geography (Indian Geography: 4, Physical Geography: 2, World Geography: 0): The focus was on Indian geography, with limited physical geography and no direct world geography questions.
Prelims 2018
Subject-Wise Weightage in UPSC Prelims 2018

Difficulty analysis

  • Medium Difficulty (50 Questions): The largest segment, requiring a balance of factual knowledge and application skills.
  • Hard Questions (29 Questions): A significant portion of the paper, making elimination techniques and conceptual clarity essential.
  • Easy Questions (21 Questions): Fewer than in later years, indicating a relatively tougher paper.

The 2018 Prelims had tougher questions than before, which made them hard to solve. This is reflected in the final cut-off, which was only 98 marks.

Prelims 2018
Difficulty-Level Distribution in UPSC Prelims 2021

Variations in Question framing

Multi-Statement Questions (58%):

  • The most common type, requiring elimination techniques and conceptual clarity.
  • Particularly prevalent in Polity, Economy, and Environment sections.
  • Many followed match the following and assertion-reasoning formats.

Direct Questions (42%):

  • Straightforward factual questions, especially in History and Geography.
  • Easier to score but required precise knowledge.
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Variations of Questions in UPSC Prelims 2021

Current Affairs vs. Static Questions

  • Current Affairs-Based (44 Questions): UPSC maintained a strong current affairs focus, particularly in Economy, Science & Technology, and International Relations.
  • Static (56 Questions): A balanced approach, with a considerable portion testing foundational knowledge, often derived from NCERT books.

Key learning for Future Preparation

  • Strengthen Economy and Polity: These subjects consistently hold high weightage and require an in-depth understanding of fundamental concepts.
  • Master Multi-Statement Questions: Since a majority of questions require elimination skills, practice structured reasoning techniques.
  • Balance Static and Current Affairs: While static knowledge remains crucial, integrating dynamic current developments is essential for scoring well.
  • Prepare for Moderate to Hard Questions: The paper had a higher proportion of challenging questions, so aspirants should refine their approach to conceptual application and strategic guessing.
  • History and Culture Awareness: Despite variations in different years, Art & Culture and Modern History continue to hold importance, making them key focus areas.
The Prelims 2018 paper had a strong focus on Economy, Environment, and Polity, with a majority of multi-statement questions requiring elimination techniques. A mix of current affairs and static knowledge highlighted the need for an integrated approach. The moderate-to-hard difficulty level and a low cutoff of 98 marks reflected the paper’s complexity.

QUESTION 1

MediumPhysical GeographyPrelims 2018

Consider the following statements:

  1. The Earth's magnetic field has reversed every few hundred thousand years.
  2. When the Earth was created more than 4000 million years ago, there was 54% oxygen and no carbon dioxide.
  3. When living organisms originated, they modified the early atmosphere of the Earth.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 only

B. 2 and 3 only

C. 1 and 3 only

D. 1, 2 and 3

Answer: C

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct. The Earth's magnetic field does reverse polarity every few hundred thousand years, on average.

Statement 2 is incorrect. The early Earth's atmosphere did not have significant oxygen and likely had a lot of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

Statement 3 is correct. The rise of photosynthetic organisms like cyanobacteria significantly increased the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere over time.

Therefore, the correct answer is (c) 1 and 3 only.


QUESTION 2

MediumIndian GeographyPrelims 2018

Among the following cities, which one lies on a longitude closest to that of Delhi?

A. Bengaluru

B. Hyderabad

C. Nagpur

D. Pune

Answer: A

Explanation

Delhi and Bengaluru are located almost on the same longitude.

  • Longitude of Delhi- 77.1025 E
  • Longitude of Bengaluru- 77.5946 E
  • Longitude of Hyderabad- 78.4867 E
  • Longitude of Nagpur- 79.0882 E
  • Llongitude of Pune- 73.8567 E

QUESTION 3

MediumIndian GeographyPrelims 2018

Consider the following statements:

  1. The Barren Island volcano is an active volcano located in the Indian territory.
  2. Barren Island lies about 140 km east of Great Nicobar.
  3. The last time the Barren Island volcano erupted was in 1991 and it has remained inactive since then.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 and 3 only

B. 2 and 3

C. 3 only

D. 1 only

Answer: D

Explanation

The correct statement is 1 only.

Statement 1 is correct. Barren Island is the only confirmed active volcano in India and lies in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Statement 2 is incorrect. Great Nicobar is north of Barren Island, not east. The distance is also more than 140 km.

Statement 3 is incorrect. Barren Island has erupted multiple times after 1991, including eruptions in 1995, 2005, and 2017.


QUESTION 4

MediumPhysical GeographyPrelims 2018

Consider the following statements -

  1. Most of the world's coral reefs are in tropical waters.
  2. More than one-third of the world's coral reefs are located in the territories of Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
  3. Coral reefs host far more number of animal phyla than those hosted by tropical rainforests.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 and 2 only

B. 3 only

C. 1and 3 only

D. 1, 2 and 3

Answer: D

Explanation

Most of the world's coral reefs are found in tropical waters. Coral reefs thrive in warm, shallow, clear waters with a temperature range between 18C and 34C, and they are predominantly located in the tropics.

More than one-third of the world's coral reefs are located in the territories of Australia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. These countries have some of the largest and most diverse coral reef ecosystems in the world.

Coral reefs host a far greater number of animal phyla compared to tropical rainforests. Coral reefs are known for their high biodiversity, hosting a wide variety of marine species, including many unique and specialised organisms. In contrast, tropical rainforests, while also highly diverse, host a relatively smaller number of animal phyla.

Therefore, all three statements are correct.


QUESTION 5

HardIndian GeographyPrelims 2018

Consider the following statements:

  1. In India, State Governments do not have the power to auction non-coal mines.
  2. Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand do not have gold mines.
  3. Rajasthan has iron ore mines.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 and 2

B. 2 only

C. 3 only

D. 1 and 3

Answer: C

Explanation

The correct statement is 3 only.

Statement 1 is incorrect. Under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, of 2015, state governments conduct auctions for non-coal mine licenses.

Statement 2 is incorrect. Both Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand have gold deposits and ongoing mining activities.

Statement 3 is correct. Rajasthan is known for its rich iron ore deposits and mining.


QUESTION 6

MediumIndian GeographyPrelims 2018

Which one of the following is an artificial lake?

A. Kodaikanal Tamil Nadu

B. Kolleru Andhra Pradesh

C. Nainital Uttarakhand

D. Renuka Himachal Pradesh

Answer: A

Explanation

Kodaikanal Lake, also known as Kodai Lake is a manmade lake located in the Kodaikanal city in Dindigul district in Tamil Nadu, India.

Sir Vere Henry Levinge, the then Collector of Madurai, was instrumental in creating the lake in 1863, amidst the Kodaikanal town which was developed by the British and early missionaries from the USA.

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