UPSC Prelims 2019 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
- Economy, Environment & Ecology, Science & Technology carried the highest weightage, together accounting for 54% of the paper.
- The paper strongly favoured statement-based questions — multi-statement and assertion-reasoning questions together made up 51% of the paper, making careful reading and elimination especially important.
- The paper was largely easy to moderate in difficulty, with 69% of questions falling in the easy or medium range and only 31% classified as hard.
- Questions were spread across 13 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 49% of questions being direct, while most required evaluating multiple statements or reasoning through assertions.
PYQs with Detailed Answers
- View Answer for: Who among the following Mughal Emperors shifted emphasis from illustrated manuscripts to album and individual portrait?
Who among the following Mughal Emperors shifted emphasis from illustrated manuscripts to album and individual portrait?
- View Answer for: Consider the following: Deification of the Buddha Treading the path of Bodhisattvas Image worship and ritualsWhich of the above is/are the feature/features of Mahayana Buddhism?
Consider the following:
- Deification of the Buddha
- Treading the path of Bodhisattvas
- Image worship and rituals
Which of the above is/are the feature/features of Mahayana Buddhism?
- View Answer for: In which of the following relief sculpture inscriptions is ‘Ranyo Ashoka’ (King Ashoka) mentioned along with the stone portrait of Ashoka?
In which of the following relief sculpture inscriptions is ‘Ranyo Ashoka’ (King Ashoka) mentioned along with the stone portrait of Ashoka?
- View Answer for: Consider the following statements: Saint Nimbarka was a contemporary of Akbar. Saint Kabir was greatly influenced by Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi.Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following statements:
- Saint Nimbarka was a contemporary of Akbar.
- Saint Kabir was greatly influenced by Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- View Answer for: Building ‘Kalyaana Mandapas’ was a notable feature in the temple construction in the kingdom of
Building ‘Kalyaana Mandapas’ was a notable feature in the temple construction in the kingdom of
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