UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES

Q1. With reference to the institutional framework of the 1972 World Heritage Convention, consider the following: 1. ICOMOS provides the World Heritage Committee with evaluations of cultural and mixed property nominations. 2. IUCN provides technical evaluations of natural heritage nominations. 3. ICCROM is an advisory body associated with conservation and conservation training. 4. The World Heritage Committee comprises 25 States Parties. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

1. ICOMOS provides the World Heritage Committee with evaluations of cultural and mixed property nominations.
2. IUCN provides technical evaluations of natural heritage nominations.
3. ICCROM is an advisory body associated with conservation and conservation training.
4. The World Heritage Committee comprises 25 States Parties.

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 1, 2 and 3 only
• C. 2, 3 and 4 only
• D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q2. Consider the following statements: 1. The World Heritage Convention was adopted in 1972, whereas India ratified it only in 1977. 2. The advisory bodies ICOMOS and IUCN are both intergovernmental organisations established by UNESCO. 3. The World Heritage Centre, established in 1992 and located in Paris, serves as the Secretariat of the Convention. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. The World Heritage Convention was adopted in 1972, whereas India ratified it only in 1977.
2. The advisory bodies ICOMOS and IUCN are both intergovernmental organisations established by UNESCO.
3. The World Heritage Centre, established in 1992 and located in Paris, serves as the Secretariat of the Convention.

• A. 1 only
• B. 1 and 3 only
• C. 2 and 3 only
• D. 1, 2 and 3

Q3. India's earliest World Heritage inscriptions of 1983 — Ajanta Caves, Ellora Caves, Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal — are conserved and managed by which one of the following as the nodal agency?

• A. Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH)
• B. Archaeological Survey of India under the Ministry of Culture
• C. National Monuments Authority under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
• D. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Q4. The 'Moidams', inscribed in 2024 as India's 43rd World Heritage property and its first cultural property from the Northeast, are best described as which one of the following?

• A. The mound-burial system of the Ahom dynasty
• B. Rock-cut Buddhist viharas of the Satavahana period
• C. Megalithic dolmen burials of the Nilgiri uplands
• D. Stepwell complexes built by the Chaulukya rulers

Q5. Consider the following statements regarding the selection criteria for World Heritage Sites: 1. Cultural sites are assessed against criteria (i) to (vi), while natural sites are assessed against criteria (vii) to (x). 2. A site must satisfy all ten criteria to qualify as a 'mixed' property. 3. A property must meet at least one of the ten criteria and demonstrate Outstanding Universal Value to be inscribed. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. Cultural sites are assessed against criteria (i) to (vi), while natural sites are assessed against criteria (vii) to (x).
2. A site must satisfy all ten criteria to qualify as a 'mixed' property.
3. A property must meet at least one of the ten criteria and demonstrate Outstanding Universal Value to be inscribed.

• A. 1 only
• B. 1 and 3 only
• C. 2 and 3 only
• D. 1, 2 and 3

Q6. Consider the following pairs of Indian World Heritage properties and their categories: 1. Khangchendzonga National Park — Mixed 2. Western Ghats — Natural 3. Kaziranga National Park — Cultural 4. Taj Mahal — Cultural Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

1. Khangchendzonga National Park — Mixed
2. Western Ghats — Natural
3. Kaziranga National Park — Cultural
4. Taj Mahal — Cultural

• A. 1 and 3 only
• B. 2 and 4 only
• C. 1, 2 and 4 only
• D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q7. With reference to the 'Maratha Military Landscapes of India', consider the following: 1. The property comprises twelve forts, of which eleven are in Maharashtra and one — Gingee Fort — is in Tamil Nadu. 2. All twelve forts were constructed exclusively during the reign of Shivaji in the 17th century. 3. The forts were built, adapted or expanded by the Marathas between the late 17th and early 19th centuries. 4. The property was inscribed under cultural criteria (iv) and (vi). Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

1. The property comprises twelve forts, of which eleven are in Maharashtra and one — Gingee Fort — is in Tamil Nadu.
2. All twelve forts were constructed exclusively during the reign of Shivaji in the 17th century.
3. The forts were built, adapted or expanded by the Marathas between the late 17th and early 19th centuries.
4. The property was inscribed under cultural criteria (iv) and (vi).

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 2 and 4 only
• C. 1, 3 and 4 only
• D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q8. At which session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee were the 'Maratha Military Landscapes of India' inscribed on the World Heritage List?

• A. 45th Session (2023)
• B. 46th Session (2024)
• C. 47th Session (2025)
• D. 48th Session (2026)

Q9. With reference to the administration of India's World Heritage properties, consider the following: 1. The Archaeological Survey of India functions under the Ministry of Culture. 2. Of India's 44 World Heritage properties, the ASI maintains 27. 3. The ASI is the sole agency managing all of India's World Heritage properties, including the natural ones. 4. The ASI is responsible for the conservation of centrally protected monuments numbering over 3,600. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

1. The Archaeological Survey of India functions under the Ministry of Culture.
2. Of India's 44 World Heritage properties, the ASI maintains 27.
3. The ASI is the sole agency managing all of India's World Heritage properties, including the natural ones.
4. The ASI is responsible for the conservation of centrally protected monuments numbering over 3,600.

• A. 1 and 3 only
• B. 2 and 4 only
• C. 1, 2 and 4 only
• D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q10. In the context of UNESCO World Heritage, the 'Tentative List' of a State Party is best described as which one of the following?

• A. An inventory of properties a State Party intends to nominate in the coming years, and a mandatory prerequisite for any future inscription
• B. A list of inscribed properties placed under emergency protection pending conservation funding
• C. A provisional list of properties already inscribed but awaiting final ratification by the General Assembly
• D. A list of properties delisted by the Committee that may later be re-nominated

Q11. Khangchendzonga National Park, India's only 'mixed' World Heritage property, is located in which State?

• A. Arunachal Pradesh
• B. Sikkim
• C. Uttarakhand
• D. Himachal Pradesh

Q12. With reference to the List of World Heritage in Danger, consider the following: 1. A property can be placed on the List only with the prior consent of the State Party concerned. 2. Manas Wildlife Sanctuary is the only Indian site so far to have been inscribed on, and later removed from, the List of World Heritage in Danger. 3. The List distinguishes between 'ascertained danger' and 'potential danger'. 4. As of 2026, no Indian World Heritage property is on the List of World Heritage in Danger. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

1. A property can be placed on the List only with the prior consent of the State Party concerned.
2. Manas Wildlife Sanctuary is the only Indian site so far to have been inscribed on, and later removed from, the List of World Heritage in Danger.
3. The List distinguishes between 'ascertained danger' and 'potential danger'.
4. As of 2026, no Indian World Heritage property is on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 2, 3 and 4 only
• C. 1, 3 and 4 only
• D. 1, 2, 3 and 4