UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — With Sarnath becoming India’s 45th UNESCO World Heritage Site, here’s a quiz on the other sites in the country

Q1. The following four properties are all rock-cut or Mughal monuments on India's World Heritage List, and each is claimed below to belong to the very first batch of Indian properties inscribed by the World Heritage Committee in 1983. Which of the above is/are NOT correctly assigned to that 1983 batch?

  1. Ajanta Caves, Maharashtra
  2. Elephanta Caves, Maharashtra
  3. Agra Fort, Uttar Pradesh
  4. Ellora Caves, Maharashtra
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 2 and 4
  • D. 3 only

Q2. India could have properties inscribed on the World Heritage List only after it became a State Party to the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. In which year did India ratify that Convention?

  • A. 1972, the year the Convention was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO
  • B. 1975, the year the Convention entered into force internationally
  • C. 1977, some six years before India's first properties were inscribed
  • D. 1980, following the establishment of the World Heritage Fund

Q3. Consider the following monuments, each said to lie within the 'Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath' property inscribed on the World Heritage List in July 2026. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Chaukhandi Stupa, which forms one of the two protected archaeological components of the property
  2. Dhamekh Stupa, situated within the Archaeological Remains of Sarnath
  3. Mulagandhakuti Vihara, situated within the Archaeological Remains of Sarnath
  4. The Great Stupa (Stupa No. 1) with its four elaborately carved gateways
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1 and 4 only

Q4. The Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath was inscribed under World Heritage criteria (iii) and (vi). Under UNESCO's selection criteria, criterion (vi) recognises a property that:

  • A. is directly or tangibly associated with events, living traditions, ideas or beliefs of outstanding universal significance
  • B. bears a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or has disappeared
  • C. contains superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance
  • D. is an outstanding example of a type of building or architectural ensemble illustrating a significant stage in human history

Q5. The Western Ghats World Heritage property is made up of component sites distributed across how many Indian States?

  • A. Three
  • B. Four
  • C. Five
  • D. Six

Q6. With 45 properties after Sarnath, India stands sixth in the world by number of World Heritage properties. Consider the following country–position pairings in that global ranking. Which of the above is/are NOT correctly matched?

  1. Italy — first
  2. China — second
  3. Spain — third
  4. Mexico — fifth
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 3 and 4
  • D. 2 and 4

Q7. India's advance to sixth place in the global tally followed the July 2026 decision to inscribe Sarnath. Under the 1972 Convention, the decision to inscribe a property on the World Heritage List is taken by:

  • A. the World Heritage Committee, composed of twenty-one States Parties elected by the General Assembly of States Parties
  • B. the General Conference of UNESCO, acting on the recommendation of its cultural advisory body ICOMOS
  • C. the World Heritage Centre, the Secretariat of the Convention, acting on the evaluations of the advisory bodies
  • D. the Executive Board of UNESCO, on the joint advice of the advisory bodies IUCN and ICCROM

Q8. Consider the following statements about the procedure by which a property is placed on the World Heritage List. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A property must already figure on its State Party's Tentative List before the World Heritage Committee can examine its nomination.
  2. A Tentative List is an inventory of the properties a State Party may consider nominating over the next five to ten years, and it may be revised at any time.
  3. A complete nomination dossier received by the Secretariat on or before 1 February is taken up by the Committee at its session in the following year.
  4. A property must satisfy at least three of the ten selection criteria to qualify for inscription.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2 and 4

Q9. Consider the following statements comparing the Indian properties inscribed on the World Heritage List in the sessions immediately preceding Sarnath's inscription: 1. India's 43rd property, the Moidams of the Ahom dynasty, was inscribed at a session of the World Heritage Committee held in New Delhi, whereas its 44th, the Maratha Military Landscapes of India, was inscribed at a session held in Paris. 2. Unlike the Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas, which lie within a single State, the Maratha Military Landscapes extend over two States. 3. Santiniketan and the Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas were both inscribed in the same year, being India's 41st and 42nd properties respectively. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. India's 43rd property, the Moidams of the Ahom dynasty, was inscribed at a session of the World Heritage Committee held in New Delhi, whereas its 44th, the Maratha Military Landscapes of India, was inscribed at a session held in Paris.
  2. Unlike the Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas, which lie within a single State, the Maratha Military Landscapes extend over two States.
  3. Santiniketan and the Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas were both inscribed in the same year, being India's 41st and 42nd properties respectively.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q10. Which one of the following Indian World Heritage properties is described by UNESCO as the oldest Buddhist sanctuary in existence, remaining a major Buddhist centre until the twelfth century A.D.?

  • A. Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh
  • B. Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya, Bihar
  • C. Ajanta Caves, Maharashtra
  • D. Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh

Q11. Which one of the following is the sole Indian property inscribed on the World Heritage List under the mixed category, recognised for both cultural and natural values?

  • A. Western Ghats, a serial property of the southern peninsula
  • B. Khangchendzonga National Park, in the State of Sikkim
  • C. Sundarbans National Park, in the Ganges delta
  • D. Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area, Himachal Pradesh