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UPSC Prelims 2019 GS Paper I: answer key and question paper

Held 2 June 2019 · Series A · 100 questions · 2 hours · +2 / −0.66

The complete Series A answer key for the 2019 Civil Services Prelims General Studies Paper I, from UPSC's official final answer key, with the subject-wise split and three questions explained in full.

Take the full 2019 paper under exam conditions. 100 questions, 2 hours, +2 / −0.66, exactly as UPSC set them. Then see your score, UPSC's key for every question and explanations for 10 of them, starting with your mistakes. Free with Google sign-in; Pro unlocks every explanation in English and தமிழ்.

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Key facts

ExamUPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2019, General Studies Paper I
Date2 June 2019
Question bookletSeries A, 100 questions, 2 hours
Marking+2 for a correct answer, −0.66 for a wrong one, 0 if left blank
Answer keyUPSC's official final answer key, checked against the file on upsc.gov.in
Dropped questionsNone
Maximum marks200

Answer key, Series A

UPSC dropped no questions, so the paper is marked out of the full 200. Other booklet series (B, C, D) have the same questions in a different order, so match your booklet to Series A before checking answers.

  1. 1d
  2. 2b
  3. 3c
  4. 4a
  5. 5c
  6. 6d
  7. 7c
  8. 8a
  9. 9d
  10. 10a
  11. 11d
  12. 12a
  13. 13d
  14. 14b
  15. 15d
  16. 16a
  17. 17c
  18. 18d
  19. 19c
  20. 20a
  21. 21a
  22. 22a
  23. 23a
  24. 24b
  25. 25d
  26. 26d
  27. 27a
  28. 28d
  29. 29c
  30. 30a
  31. 31d
  32. 32d
  33. 33c
  34. 34d
  35. 35d
  36. 36b
  37. 37b
  38. 38a
  39. 39a
  40. 40c
  41. 41d
  42. 42d
  43. 43b
  44. 44b
  45. 45b
  46. 46c
  47. 47a
  48. 48a
  49. 49a
  50. 50b
  51. 51c
  52. 52b
  53. 53c
  54. 54c
  55. 55b
  56. 56b
  57. 57c
  58. 58b
  59. 59c
  60. 60c
  61. 61b
  62. 62a
  63. 63d
  64. 64b
  65. 65b
  66. 66c
  67. 67d
  68. 68a
  69. 69a
  70. 70a
  71. 71a
  72. 72d
  73. 73a
  74. 74b
  75. 75d
  76. 76c
  77. 77a
  78. 78c
  79. 79c
  80. 80d
  81. 81d
  82. 82a
  83. 83a
  84. 84d
  85. 85d
  86. 86d
  87. 87a
  88. 88c
  89. 89b
  90. 90b
  91. 91b
  92. 92b
  93. 93a
  94. 94c
  95. 95d
  96. 96a
  97. 97b
  98. 98b
  99. 99a
  100. 100b

Subject-wise split

How the 100 questions divide across the syllabus, by 1way's classification of each question.

SubjectQuestionsShare
Economy25
Environment17
Science & Technology15
Polity13
Geography10
History9
Art & Culture6
International Relations4
Governance & Ethics1

Three questions from the 2019 paper, explained

Try each one before opening the answer. This is the kind of explanation you get after taking the paper: the reasoning behind every option, with sources.

Question 3 · Economy

The Global Competitiveness Report is published by the

  1. (a)International Monetary Fund
  2. (b)United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
  3. (c)World Economic Forum
  4. (d)World Bank
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: (c) World Economic Forum

The Global Competitiveness Report is published by the World Economic Forum (WEF), the Geneva-based foundation, which ranks economies on its Global Competitiveness Index built on pillars such as institutions, infrastructure, macroeconomic stability, skills, market size and innovation. Option (a) is incorrect: the IMF publishes the World Economic Outlook and Global Financial Stability Report. Option (b) is incorrect: UNCTAD publishes the World Investment Report and the Trade and Development Report. Option (d) is incorrect: the World Bank published the Doing Business report (and publishes the Global Economic Prospects). In the 2018 edition, the latest before the exam, India was ranked 58th of 140 economies. What changed since 2019: India slipped to 68th in the October 2019 edition; WEF then paused country rankings in its December 2020 Special Edition (focused on recovery from COVID-19) and has not resumed the ranked index since.

Question 22 · Environment

Consider the following statements :

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. (a)1 only
  2. (b)2 only
  3. (c)1 and 3 only
  4. (d)1, 2 and 3
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: (a) 1 only

Statement 1 is correct: the Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica) survives in the wild only in India, in the Gir forest and surrounding areas of Saurashtra in Gujarat. Statement 2 is incorrect: the double-humped Bactrian camel is found in India only in small numbers in the Nubra Valley of Ladakh; its main range is in Central Asia, including Mongolia and China, where the wild Bactrian camel also survives in the Gobi. Statement 3 is incorrect: the greater one-horned rhinoceros occurs in India (mainly Kaziranga and other Assam and West Bengal parks) and also in Nepal, for example in Chitwan and Bardia National Parks. Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Question 31 · Science & Technology

Recently, there was a growing awareness in our country about the importance of Himalayan nettle (Girardinia diversifolia) because it is found to be a sustainable source of

  1. (a)anti-malarial drug
  2. (b)biodiesel
  3. (c)pulp for paper industry
  4. (d)textile fibre
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: (d) textile fibre

The Himalayan nettle (Girardinia diversifolia), locally called allo or bichhu ghas, is a wild perennial plant of the Himalayan foothills in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Nepal. Its bark yields long, strong, glossy fibres that have traditionally been spun into ropes, bags and cloth by hill communities. Because it grows naturally without irrigation or fertiliser on degraded slopes, it has been promoted as a sustainable textile fibre, blended with wool or cotton, and as a livelihood source for Himalayan villages. It is not a recognised source of anti-malarial drugs (option a), biodiesel (option b) or paper pulp (option c). Hence the answer is textile fibre.

The other 97 questions are waiting. 100 questions, 2 hours, +2 / −0.66, exactly as UPSC set them. Then see your score, UPSC's key for every question and explanations for 10 of them, starting with your mistakes. Free with Google sign-in; Pro unlocks every explanation in English and தமிழ்.

Take the 2019 paper

Other years

Every UPSC Prelims GS Paper I from 2016 to 2026, each with UPSC's official key. See all past papers.

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