UPSC CSE Prelims · Previous Year Questions

UPSC Prelims PYQs 2024

All 75 questions from the UPSC Prelims 2024 paper, tagged by subject and topic.

1. Q1

   Which of the following statements best reflect the most logical and rational inferences that can be made from the passage? The current methods of food distribution are solely responsible for the loss and wastage of food. Land productivity is adversely affected…
2. Q2

   Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made : 1.The food distribution mechanism needs to be reimagined and made effective to reduce the loss and wastage of food. 2.Ensuring the reduction of wastage and loss of food is a social and mora…
3. Q3

   Which of the following statements best reflects/reflect the most logical and rational inference/inferences that can be made from the passage? Central banks cannot bring down inflation without budgetary backing. The effects of monetary policy depend on the fisc…
4. Q4

   Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made : 1. Fiscal policies of governments are solely responsible for higher prices. 2. Higher prices do not affect the long-term government bonds. Which of the assumptions given above is/are valid?
5. Q5

   What is the least possible number of cuts required to cut a cube into 64 identical pieces?
6. Q6

   In the expression 5 * 4* 3* 2* 1, * is chosen from +, -, × each at most two times. What is the smallest non-negative value of the expression?
7. Q7

   A certain number of men can complete a piece of work in 6k days, where k is a natural number. By what percent should the number of men be increased so that the work can be completed in 5k days?
8. Q8

   X, Y and Z can complete a piece of work individually in 6 hours, 8 hours and 8 hours respectively. However, only one person at a time can work in each hour and nobody can work for two consecutive hours. All are engaged to finish the work. What is the minimum a…
9. Q9

   How many consecutive zeros are there at the end of the integer obtained in the product 12 × 24 × 36 × 48 ×.... × 2550?
10. Q10

    On January 1st, 2023, a person saved Rs 1. On January 2nd, 2023, he saved Rs. 2 more than that on the previous day. On January 3rd, 2023, he saved Rs. 2 more than that on the previous day and so on. At the end of which date was his total savings a perfect squa…
11. Q11

    Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical and rational inference that can be made from the above passage?
12. Q12

    Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made : India needs a new generation of urban professionals with knowledge relevant to modern urban practice. Indian universities at present have no capacity or potential to impart training in syst…
13. Q13

    Which one of the following statements best reflects the central idea of the above passage ?
14. Q14

    Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made : 1. Internet is not inclusive enough. 2. Internet can adversely affect the quality of policies in a country. Which of the assumptions given above is/are valid?
15. Q15

    222333 + 333222 is divisible by which of the following numbers ?
16. Q16

    What percent of water must be mixed with honey so as to gain 20% by selling the mixture at the cost price of honey ?
17. Q17

    What is the rightmost digit preceding the zeros in the value of 3030?
18. Q18

    421 and 427, when divided by the same number, leave the same remainder 1. How many numbers can be used as the divisor in order to get the same remainder 1 ?
19. Q19

    A can X contains 399 litres of petrol and a can Y contains 532 litres of diesel. They are to be bottled in bottles of equal size so that whole of petrol and diesel would be separately bottled. The bottle capacity in terms of litres is an integer. How many diff…
20. Q20

    Consider the following statements in respect of the sum S = x + y + z, where x, y and z are distinct prime numbers each less than 10 : 1. The unit digit of S can be 0. 2. The unit digit of S can be 9. 3. The unit digit of S can be 5. Which of the statements gi…
21. Q21

    Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made : For effective school education, parents have greater role than the governments. School curriculum that conforms to today’s requirements and is uniform for the entire country may address the…
22. Q22

    Which one of the following statements best reflects the central idea conveyed by the passage?
23. Q23

    Which one of the following statements best reflects the thinking of the author about the science?
24. Q24

    Consider the sequence A_BCD_BBCDABC_DABC_D that follows a certain pattern. Which one of the following completes the sequence?
25. Q25

    Two persons P and Q enter into a business. P puts ₹ 14,000 more than Q, but P has invested for 8 months and Q has invested for 10 months. If P's share is ₹ 400 more than Q's share out of the total profit of ₹ 2,000, what is the capital contributed by P?
26. Q26

    P’s salary is 20% lower than Q’s salary which is 20% lower than R’s salary. By how much percent is R’s salary more than P’s salary?
27. Q27

    A number is mistakenly divided by 4 instead of multiplying by 4. What is the percentage change in the result due to this mistake?
28. Q28

    In an examination, 80% of students passed in English, 70% of students passed in Hindi and 15% failed in both the subjects. What is the percentage of students who failed in only one subject?
29. Q29

    A father said to his son, “n years back I was as old as you are now. My present age is four times your age n years back”. If the sum of the present ages of the father and the son is 130 years, what is the difference of their ages?
30. Q30

    Consider the following : 1. 1000 litres = 1m3 2. 1 metric ton = 1000 kg 3. 1 hectare = 10000 m2 Which of the above are correct?
31. Q31

    Which of the following is/are emphatically conveyed by the author of the passage? 1. Without science, mankind could not have continued to exist till today. 2. It is the science that will ultimately determine the destiny of mankind. Select the correct answer us…
32. Q32

    Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made: 1. The horrors of modern life are the inevitable result of the progress of science. 2. The aspect of truth likely to be overlooked is that science is what man has made it. Which of the assum…
33. Q33

    When we meet other people while we travel, we learn to differentiate between
34. Q34

    With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made : 1. Travel leads to an understanding of humans. 2. Travel helps those who wish to learn fundamental common values. 3. A person with long experience in travel can resolve differences…
35. Q35

    Let X be a two-digit number and Y be another two-digit number formed by interchanging the digits of X. If (X + Y) is the greatest two-digit number, then what is the number of possible values of X?
36. Q36

    Consider the following : Weight of 6 boys = Weight of 7 girls = Weight of 3 men = Weight of 4 women If the average weight of the women is 63 kg, then what is the average weight of the boys?
37. Q37

    How many times the hour hand and the minute hand coincide in a clock between 10:00 a.m. and 2.00 p.m. (same day)?
38. Q38

    The calendar for the year 2025 is same for
39. Q39

    Let p, q, r and s be distinct positive integers. Let p, q be odd and r, s be even. Consider the following statements : (p-r)2 (qs) is even. (q-s)q2 s is even. (q + r)2 (p + s) is odd. Which of the statements given above are correct?
40. Q40

    What is the angle between the minute hand and hour hand when the clock shows 4:25 hours?
41. Q41

    Which of the following statements best reflects/reflect the most logical and rational inference/inferences that can be made from the passage? In conventional classroom learning, the central goal is duration of learning rather than attainment of competency. Con…
42. Q42

    Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made : As a large number of workers in our country are employed in unorganized sector, India does not need to change its present conventional classroom system of education. Even with its present c…
43. Q43

    Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made : The adolescent does not feel comfortable with his parents because they tend to be dominating and assertive. The adolescent of modern times does not have much respect for parents. Which of t…
44. Q44

    Which one of the following statements best reflects the central idea of the above passage?
45. Q45

    What is the number of fives used in numbering a 260-page book?
46. Q46

    What is the sum of the first 28 terms in the following sequence? 1, 1, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1, 4, 3, 2, 1, 5, 4, 3, 2,......
47. Q47

    A person buys three articles P, Q and R for ₹ 3,330. If P costs 25% more than R and R costs 20% more than Q, then what is the cost of P?
48. Q48

    If the sum of the two-digit numbers AB and CD is the three-digit number 1CE, where the letters A, B, C, D, E denote distinct digits, then what is the value of A?
49. Q50

    The total cost of 4 oranges, 6 mangoes and 8 apples is equal to twice the total cost of 1 orange, 2 mangoes and 5 apples. Consider the following statements : 1. The total cost of 3 oranges, 5 mangoes and 9 apples is equal to the total cost of 4 oranges, 6 mang…
50. Q51

    Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical, rational and practical suggestion implied by the passage?
51. Q52

    Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made : 1. Giant icebergs have a bearing on primary productivity and food chains of the Southern Ocean. 2. Melting of giant icebergs can produce climate change effects and impact world fisheries. W…
52. Q53

    Which one of the following statements best reflect the most logical and rational and practical message conveyed by the passage?
53. Q54

    325 + 227 is divisible by
54. Q59

    A Question is given followed by two Statements I and II. Consider the Questions and the Statements. Question : What are the values of m and n, where m and n are natural numbers? Statement-I : m + n > mn and m > n. Statement-II : The product of m and n is 24. W…
55. Q60

    A Question is given followed by two Statements I and II. Consider the Questions and the Statements. Question : What is the time required to download the software? Statement-I : The size of the software is 12 megabytes. Statement-II : The transfer rate is 2.4 k…
56. Q61

    Which one of the following statements best reflects the crux of the above passage?
57. Q62

    Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical, rational and practical message implied by the passage?
58. Q63

    Which one of the following statements best reflects the crux of the above passage?
59. Q64

    A question is given followed by two Statements I and II. Consider the Question and the Statements. Question : What are the unique values of x and y, where x, y are distinct natural numbers? Statement-I : x/y is odd. Statement-II : xy = 12 Which one of the foll…
60. Q65

    A Question is given followed by two Statements I and II. Consider the Question and the Statements. A certain amount was distributed among X, Y and Z. Question : Who received the least amount? Statement-I : X received 4/5 of what Y and Z together received. Stat…
61. Q66

    A Question is given followed by two Statements I and II. Consider the Question and the Statements. Question : If the average marks in a class are 60, them what is the number of students in the class? Statement-I : The highest marks in the class are 70 and the…
62. Q67

    A Question is given followed by two Statements I and II. Consider the Question and the Statements. There are three distinct prime numbers whose sum is a prime number. Question : What are those three numbers? Statement-I : Their sum is less than 23. Statement-I…
63. Q68

    A Question if given followed by two Statements I and II. Consider the Question and the Statements. Question : Is (x+y) an integer? Statement-I : (2x+y) is an integer. Statement-II : (x+2y) is an integer. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the…
64. Q69

    A Question is given followed by two Statement I and II. Consider the Question and the Statements. A person buys three articles p, q and r for ₹50. The price of the article q is ₹16 which is the least. Question : What is the price of the article p? Statement-I…
65. Q70

    A Question is given followed by two Statements I and II. Consider the Question and the Statements. P, Q, R and S appeared in a test. Question : Has P scored more marks than Q ? Statement-I : The sum of the marks scored by P and Q is equal to the sum of the mar…
66. Q71

    Which one of the following statements best reflects the most logical and rational message conveyed by the above passage?
67. Q72

    Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made : 1. The author of the passage believes that flowers are creations of Nature's luxury. 2. The author of the passage does not believe in the usefulness of flowers except as things of beauty. W…
68. Q73

    Question is given followed by two Statements I and II. Consider the Question and the Statements. Age of each of P and Q is less than 100 years but more than 10 years. If you interchange the digits of the age of P, the number represents the age of Q. Question :…
69. Q74

    Main Statement is followed by four Statements labelled P, Q, R and S. Choose the ordered pair of the Statements where the first Statement implies the second, and the two Statements are logically consistent with the Main Statement. Main Statement : Pradeep beco…
70. Q75

    a + b means a – b; a – b means a x b; a x b means a ÷ b; a ÷ b; means a + b, then what is the value of 10 + 30 – 100 x 50 ÷ 25? (Operations are to be replaced simultaneously)
71. Q76

    If P means ‘greater than (>)’; Q means ‘less than (<)’; R means ‘not greater than ( )’; S means ‘not less than ( )’ and T means ‘equal to (=)’, then consider the following statements : 1. If 2x(S)3y and 3x(T)4z, then 9y(P)8z. 2. If x(Q)2y and y(R)z, then x(R)z…
72. Q77

    If in a certain code, ‘ABCD’ is written as 24 and ‘EFGH’ is written as 1680, then how is ‘IJKL’ written in that code?
73. Q78

    If in a certain code, 'POT' is written as ATOP and 'TRAP' is written as APART, then how is 'ARENA' written in that code?
74. Q79

    What will come in place of * in the sequence 3, 14, 39, 84, *, 258?
75. Q80

    In some code, letters P, Q, R, S, T represent numbers 4, 5, 10, 12, 15. It is not known which letter represents which number. If Q – S = 2S and T = R + S + 3, then what is the value of P + R – T?