UPSC Prelims Mock Test: GS Paper 1 Practice Paper with Answers

This UPSC Prelims Mock Test for General Studies Paper 1 is a short, mixed practice paper that follows the style of the real exam. It has 15 multiple-choice questions from History, Polity, Geography, Economy, Environment and Science and Technology, with a full answer key and a simple explanation for each answer. Use it as a quick daily test or as a warm-up before you attempt full-length mocks.

About the UPSC Prelims GS Paper 1

The Prelims General Studies Paper 1 has 100 questions for 200 marks and the time allowed is 2 hours. Each question carries 2 marks, and one-third of the marks are deducted for every wrong answer. The paper is based on objective questions from Indian History, Indian and World Geography, Polity and Governance, Economic and Social Development, Environment and Ecology, General Science and Current Events. The Prelims is a screening test, so your goal is to cross the cut-off with safe and smart attempts.

Instructions for This Practice Paper

• Total questions: 15. Suggested time: 15 minutes.
• Each correct answer gives 2 marks and each wrong answer reduces 0.66 marks.
• Do not look at the answers before finishing. Mark only the options you are fairly sure about, and note down the ones you guessed.

Practice Questions

Q1. Who chaired the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly of India?
(a) Dr. Rajendra Prasad
(b) Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
(c) Jawaharlal Nehru
(d) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Q2. Which Mauryan emperor gave up conquest and adopted Dhamma after the Kalinga War (about 261 BCE)?
(a) Chandragupta Maurya
(b) Bindusara
(c) Ashoka
(d) Brihadratha

Q3. The Indian Standard Time (IST) is based on which longitude?
(a) 68.5 degrees East
(b) 75.5 degrees East
(c) 82.5 degrees East
(d) 90 degrees East

Q4. Which of the following is a Kharif crop?
(a) Wheat
(b) Mustard
(c) Rice
(d) Barley

Q5. In banking, the repo rate is the rate at which:
(a) Banks lend money to the public
(b) The RBI lends short-term money to banks
(c) The RBI borrows money from banks
(d) The government borrows from the RBI

Q6. The Ramsar Convention is related to the conservation of:
(a) Forests
(b) Wetlands
(c) Coral reefs
(d) Deserts

Q7. Which gas is the most abundant in the Earth's atmosphere?
(a) Oxygen
(b) Carbon dioxide
(c) Nitrogen
(d) Argon

Q8. The Right to Education for children between 6 and 14 years is provided under which Article of the Constitution?
(a) Article 19
(b) Article 21
(c) Article 21A
(d) Article 45

Q9. Who founded the Arya Samaj in 1875?
(a) Raja Rammohan Roy
(b) Swami Dayananda Saraswati
(c) Swami Vivekananda
(d) Jyotiba Phule

Q10. In which year did Chandrayaan-3 soft-land near the Moon's south polar region?
(a) 2019
(b) 2021
(c) 2023
(d) 2025

Q11. The provisions on anti-defection are contained in which Schedule of the Constitution?
(a) Seventh Schedule
(b) Eighth Schedule
(c) Ninth Schedule
(d) Tenth Schedule

Q12. The Tropic of Cancer does NOT pass through which of the following states?
(a) Gujarat
(b) Rajasthan
(c) Odisha
(d) Tripura

Q13. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) was launched in India on:
(a) 1 April 2016
(b) 1 July 2017
(c) 1 January 2018
(d) 1 April 2019

Q14. The Battle of Plassey was fought in the year:
(a) 1739
(b) 1757
(c) 1764
(d) 1857

Q15. Who is the chairperson of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)?
(a) The Home Minister
(b) The President
(c) The Prime Minister
(d) The Cabinet Secretary

Answer Key with Explanations

1. Q1: (b) Dr. B. R. Ambedkar chaired the Drafting Committee. Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the President of the Constituent Assembly.
2. Q2: (c) Ashoka was deeply affected by the violence of the Kalinga War and began to follow the policy of Dhamma.
3. Q3: (c) IST is based on the 82.5 degrees East meridian, which passes near Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh.
4. Q4: (c) Rice is sown with the onset of the monsoon and harvested in autumn. Wheat, mustard and barley are Rabi crops.
5. Q5: (b) Repo rate is the rate at which the RBI lends to commercial banks. The rate at which the RBI borrows from banks is the reverse repo rate.
6. Q6: (b) The Ramsar Convention (1971) is an international treaty for the conservation and wise use of wetlands.
7. Q7: (c) Nitrogen forms about 78 percent of dry air, oxygen about 21 percent.
8. Q8: (c) Article 21A was added by the 86th Constitutional Amendment (2002) and makes education a Fundamental Right for children aged 6 to 14 years.
9. Q9: (b) Swami Dayananda Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj in Bombay in 1875 with the call "Back to the Vedas".
10. Q10: (c) Chandrayaan-3 soft-landed on 23 August 2023. The lander of Chandrayaan-2 had crashed in 2019.
11. Q11: (d) The Tenth Schedule, added by the 52nd Amendment (1985), deals with disqualification on grounds of defection.
12. Q12: (c) The Tropic of Cancer passes through eight states: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura and Mizoram.
13. Q13: (b) GST came into effect on 1 July 2017 after the 101st Constitutional Amendment.
14. Q14: (b) The Battle of Plassey (1757) between Robert Clive and Siraj-ud-Daulah began British political power in Bengal. Buxar was fought in 1764.
15. Q15: (c) Under the Disaster Management Act 2005, the Prime Minister is the chairperson of the NDMA.

How to Score Yourself

Count your correct answers first and then subtract a small penalty for each wrong answer. Do not worry if your first score is low. A mock test is a mirror, and it shows you exactly where to improve.

Subject-wise Strategy for Prelims GS Paper 1

• History and Art and Culture: read NCERT for ancient, medieval and modern India, make a timeline and revise monuments, dances and paintings with pictures. Expect a mix of factual and concept-based questions.
• Polity: this is a stable and scoring subject. Know the Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles, Parliament, judiciary and constitutional bodies. Link every topic with current news.
• Geography: always keep an atlas open. Learn rivers, mountains, climate, soils and resources, and connect them with news events like floods and cyclones.
• Economy: understand basic terms such as GDP, inflation, repo rate, fiscal deficit and GST. Read the Economic Survey summary and Budget highlights.
• Environment: give it special time. Learn species, protected areas, conventions and climate change terms with simple tables.
• Science and Technology: revise basics from NCERT and follow space, health and technology news.

How to Analyse a Mock Test Properly

Taking a test is only half the job. The real learning happens when you check your mistakes. After every practice paper, sort your wrong or guessed answers into three groups: concept mistakes (you did not know the topic), fact mistakes (you forgot a date, name or place) and silly mistakes (you misread the question or ignored a word like NOT or ONLY). Write each mistake in a small notebook with the correct answer and a one-line reason. Revise the notebook every week. Within a month, you will see your accuracy rising and your negative marks falling.

Smart Techniques for Objective Questions

1. Read the stem carefully. Words like "NOT", "only", "always" and "which of the following is correct" change the answer completely.
2. Use elimination. If you can remove two options with confidence, the chance of a correct guess becomes 50 percent, which is worth taking because of negative marking.
3. Beware of extreme words. Statements containing "all", "never" or "completely" are often wrong in UPSC.
4. Do not guess blindly. If you have no idea about any option, skip the question.
5. Manage time. You get about 72 seconds per question in the real paper. Do not stay on one question for more than two minutes.

Common Mistakes in Prelims Practice

• Taking mock tests but never reviewing the mistakes.
• Reading too many books and not revising one good source.
• Ignoring current affairs from the last 12 to 18 months.
• Practising only the subjects that you already like.

Practise a short set like this every day, revise your notes and take one full-length mock every week. Keep a calm mind, trust your preparation and treat every wrong answer as a free lesson. With regular practice, the Prelims will start to feel like a familiar game and not a scary exam, and your confidence will grow with every paper you finish.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How many questions are there in the UPSC Prelims GS Paper 1?

The UPSC Prelims General Studies Paper 1 has 100 multiple-choice questions for 200 marks, and the time allowed is 2 hours.

Is there negative marking in UPSC Prelims?

Yes. One-third of the marks of a question are deducted for each wrong answer. Since each question carries 2 marks, a wrong answer reduces about 0.66 marks.

How many mock tests should I take before UPSC Prelims?

Many aspirants take 20 to 30 full-length mock tests, plus topic-wise tests, and they spend as much time on analysing mistakes as on writing the tests.

What is a good score in a UPSC Prelims mock test?

Cut-offs change every year, so focus on steady improvement. Try to increase your accuracy and attempt only the questions you are fairly sure about. Aim to keep your negative marks as low as possible.

Which subjects are most important for UPSC Prelims GS Paper 1?

Polity, Geography, Economy, Environment, History and Art and Culture carry a large share of questions, and current affairs links with almost every subject.

Can I use this practice paper daily?

Yes. You can solve it as a 15-minute daily test, review the answers and then revise the weak topics. Repeat it after a week to check improvement.

How do I reduce silly mistakes in objective tests?

Read each question twice, underline words like NOT and ONLY, use elimination and keep a mistake notebook that you revise every week.