UPSC Prelims 2024 Analysis
Subject-Wise MCQ Distribution
- Polity: High representation with 15-20 questions, focusing on constitutional articles, governance, and recent amendments. Analytical abilities were essential to tackle assertion-based and statement-type questions.
- Economy: Approximately 12-15 questions, heavily tilted towards current economic developments, policies, and budget-related topics. A mix of static concepts from NCERT and dynamic updates was necessary.
- Environment & Ecology: 18-20 questions, with a strong emphasis on climate change, international agreements, and conservation efforts. Match the following questions played a significant role in this section.
- History: 12-14 questions, balanced between ancient, medieval, and modern, with increasing weightage on cultural aspects. Many questions required a combination of NCERT knowledge and historical maps for better context.
- Geography: 10-12 questions, mostly applied concepts like map-based and environmental geography questions.
- Science & Technology: 8-10 questions, leaning towards application-based knowledge on recent innovations and space technology.
- Current Affairs: 15-18 questions, interwoven with other subjects, often requiring assertion-reasoning skills to connect facts.
Difficulty Analysis
- Easy: ~30% of questions were straightforward and could be attempted with basic NCERT knowledge.
- Moderate: ~50% required analytical abilities, conceptual clarity, and elimination tactics.
- Difficult: ~20% were tricky, involving multi-layered reasoning or obscure facts.
Variations in Question Framing
- Statement-based MCQs: 60% of questions were framed in a two-statement or three-statement format, testing comprehension, elimination skills, and analytical abilities.
- Assertion-Reasoning: 13% of the questions assessed logical connections between concepts, requiring critical thinking.
- Match the Following: 10% of the questions required mapping terms with their definitions, locations, or features, particularly in Geography and Environment.
- Standalone Questions: 25% were direct, fact-based questions, but even these often required cross-referencing with maps or historical events.
- Notably, in 2024, UPSC introduced three-column Match the Following MCQs, increasing question complexity and demanding better comprehension skills.
Key Learnings for Future Preparation
- Integrated Approach: Focus on interlinking static NCERT subjects with current affairs, as many questions have contextual relevance.
- Master the Basics: A strong foundation in NCERTs is crucial for tackling conceptual questions, especially in Polity, History, and Geography.
- Develop Analytical Abilities: Statement-based and assertion-reasoning questions require critical thinking and elimination tactics.
- Focus on Trends: Emphasize high-yield topics like Environment, Economy, and Current Affairs to maximize scoring potential.
- Revise Maps and Schematics: Geography and Environmental questions often require map-based knowledge and spatial reasoning to answer correctly.
Subject-Wise Answer Key
QUESTION 1
Who of the following is the author of the books "The India Way" and "Why Bharat Matters"?
A. Bhupender Yadav
B. Nalin Mehta
C. Shashi Tharoor
D. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar
QUESTION 2
Which of the following statements about 'Exercise Mitra Shakti-2023' are correct?
- This was a joint military exercise between India and Bangladesh.
- It commenced in Aundh (Pune).
- Joint response during counter-terrorism operations was a goal of this operation.
- Indian Air Force was a part of this exercise.
Select the answer using the code given below :
A. 1, 2 and 3
B. 1, 2 and 4
C. 1, 3 and 4
D. 2, 3 and 4
QUESTION 3
Consider the following statements :
Statement-I : There is instability and worsening security situation in the Sahel region. Statement-II: There have been military takeovers/coups d'état in several countries of the Sahel region in the recent past.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-I Statement-II explains
B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct
QUESTION 4
Consider the following pairs :
| Country | Reason for being in the news |
|---|---|
| 1. Argentina | Worst economic crisis |
| 2. Sudan | War between the country's regular army and paramilitary forces |
| 3. Turkey | Rescinded its membership of NATO |
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
A. Only one pair
B. Only two pairs
C. All three pairs
D. None of the pairs
QUESTION 5
Consider the following statements:
Statement-I: Recently, Venezuela has achieved a rapid recovery from its economic crisis and succeeded in preventing its people from fleeing/emigrating to other countries. Statement-II: Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct
QUESTION 6
Consider the following statements:
Statement-I : The European Parliament approved The Net-Zero Industry Act recently. Statement-II: The European Union intends to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 and therefore aims to develop all of its own clean technology by that time.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct