UPSC Prelims 2021 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, Indian Polity, Economy carried the highest weightage, together accounting for 51% of the paper.
- The paper strongly favoured statement-based questions — multi-statement and assertion-reasoning questions together made up 60% of the paper, making careful reading and elimination especially important.
- The paper was largely easy to moderate in difficulty, with 73% of questions falling in the easy or medium range and only 27% 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 40% of questions being direct, while most required evaluating multiple statements or reasoning through assertions.
PYQs with Detailed Answers
- View Answer for: Which one of the following ancient towns is well-known for its elaborate system of water harvesting and management by building a series of dams and channelizing water into connected reservoirs?
Which one of the following ancient towns is well-known for its elaborate system of water harvesting and management by building a series of dams and channelizing water into connected reservoirs?
- View Answer for: Consider the following pairs: Historical Place | Well-known for --------------------|--------------------- Burzahom | Rock-cut shrines Chandra-Ketugarh | Terracotta art Ganeshwar | Copper artefacts Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Consider the following pairs:
Historical Place Well-known for Burzahom Rock-cut shrines Chandra-Ketugarh Terracotta art Ganeshwar Copper artefacts Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
- View Answer for: From the declines of Guptas until the rise of Harshavardhana in the early seventh century, which of the following kingdoms were holding power in Northern India? The Guptas of Magadha The Paramaras of Malwa The Pushyabhutis of Thanesar The Maukharis of Kanauj The Yadavas of Devagiri The Maitrakas of ValabhiSelect the correct answer using the codes given below.
From the declines of Guptas until the rise of Harshavardhana in the early seventh century, which of the following kingdoms were holding power in Northern India?
- The Guptas of Magadha
- The Paramaras of Malwa
- The Pushyabhutis of Thanesar
- The Maukharis of Kanauj
- The Yadavas of Devagiri
- The Maitrakas of Valabhi
Select the correct answer using the codes given below.
Trusted by 2L aspirants
Practice UPSC Prelims PYQs Smarter
- Track accuracy & weak areas
- See past trends & repeated themes
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these the complete UPSC Prelims 2021 questions?
Can I practise these questions before seeing the answers?
Are these answers based on the official UPSC answer key?
Crack UPSC with your
Personal AI Mentor
An AI-powered ecosystem to learn, practice, and evaluate with discipline
