Geography MCQs for UPSC Prelims — May 2026

Q1. As per the Ministry of Coal, the estimated lignite resource of India (as on 01.04.2024) is approximately how much?

  • A. About 47 billion tonnes
  • B. About 389 billion tonnes
  • C. About 101 billion tonnes
  • D. About 25 billion tonnes

Q2. Consider the following ASEAN member states in the context of official territorial claims in the South China Sea. Which of the above is/are NOT correctly identified as an official South China Sea claimant?

  1. Vietnam
  2. Philippines
  3. Indonesia
  4. Malaysia
  • A. 3 only
  • B. 1 and 2
  • C. 3 and 4
  • D. 1 only

Q3. With reference to the site where Amolops kamal was recorded, consider the following statements: 1. It lies in the Kiphire district of Nagaland. 2. The district shares an international boundary with Myanmar. 3. The specimens were collected near Singrep village. 4. The location falls within the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. It lies in the Kiphire district of Nagaland.
  2. The district shares an international boundary with Myanmar.
  3. The specimens were collected near Singrep village.
  4. The location falls within the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 4 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q4. In IMD's 2026 monsoon outlook, the risk of below-normal southwest monsoon rainfall was attributed chiefly to the development of which one of the following Pacific Ocean phenomena?

  • A. El Niño
  • B. La Niña
  • C. Indian Ocean Dipole (positive phase)
  • D. Madden-Julian Oscillation

Q5. IMD's May 2026 all-India rainfall outlook projected rainfall exceeding what percentage of the Long Period Average (LPA)?

  • A. 90%
  • B. 100%
  • C. 110%
  • D. 120%

Q6. In IMD's temperature outlooks (such as its May 2026 forecast), the term 'normal' temperature for a station refers to which one of the following?

  • A. The 30-year climatological average for that station/period
  • B. The value recorded in the immediately preceding year
  • C. The all-time highest temperature on record for that station
  • D. The median of all readings since 1901

Q7. With reference to IMD's heat wave criteria, which of the following are correctly identified?

  1. For coastal stations, the qualifying threshold maximum temperature is 37°C.
  2. A 'heat wave' (by departure) is declared when the departure from normal is 4.5°C to 6.4°C.
  3. A 'severe heat wave' (by departure) is declared when the departure from normal exceeds 6.4°C.
  4. For hilly regions, the qualifying threshold maximum temperature is 40°C.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2 and 4

Q8. As per IMD, over the Plains, the maximum temperature of a station must reach at least what value before a heat wave can be declared (i.e., the minimum absolute threshold)?

  • A. 37°C
  • B. 40°C
  • C. 45°C
  • D. 30°C

Q9. IMD's finding of a statistically significant rising trend in heatwave frequency and duration over the Core Heatwave Zone is based on a climatological dataset spanning which period?

  • A. 1901-2000
  • B. 1951-2010
  • C. 1961-2020
  • D. 1971-2020

Q10. Consider the following statements about India's cotton economy: 1. India is the second largest producer of cotton in the world. 2. Gujarat, Maharashtra and Telangana together account for about 65% of India's cotton production. 3. Cotton is primarily a rabi season crop in India. 4. The Cotton Corporation of India is the central nodal agency for MSP procurement of cotton. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. India is the second largest producer of cotton in the world.
  2. Gujarat, Maharashtra and Telangana together account for about 65% of India's cotton production.
  3. Cotton is primarily a rabi season crop in India.
  4. The Cotton Corporation of India is the central nodal agency for MSP procurement of cotton.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q11. About 65% of India's cotton production is accounted for by how many states?

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

Q12. With reference to the international boundaries of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, consider the following countries claimed to share a land border with it: Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. Kazakhstan
  2. Nepal
  3. Afghanistan
  4. Mongolia
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 2 and 4
  • D. 1 and 3

Q13. With reference to China's three major intercontinental ballistic missile silo fields, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Yumen silo field lies in Gansu province, whereas the Hami silo field lies in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
  2. The Hami silo field is situated to the northwest of the Yumen silo field.
  3. The Ordos (Yulin) silo field is located within the Tibet Autonomous Region.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q14. The sowing of kharif crops such as paddy and maize across most of India commences with which one of the following meteorological events?

  • A. Onset of the southwest monsoon in June
  • B. Withdrawal of the southwest monsoon in September–October
  • C. Onset of the northeast monsoon in October
  • D. Pre-monsoon (Nor'wester) thundershowers in April

Q15. The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), used alongside ENSO in IMD's monsoon outlook, is conventionally described as having how many phases?

  • A. Exactly 3
  • B. Exactly 2
  • C. Exactly 4
  • D. Exactly 5

Q16. The official declaration of the onset of the southwest monsoon over Kerala is made by which one of the following?

  • A. India Meteorological Department
  • B. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
  • C. Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services
  • D. National Disaster Management Authority

Q17. Under IMD's objective criteria for declaring the onset of the southwest monsoon over Kerala, onset is considered if, after 10 May, at least 60% of a designated set of stations report 2.5 mm or more rainfall on two consecutive days. How many stations are in this designated set?

  • A. 14
  • B. 8
  • C. 10
  • D. 20

Q18. The Long Range Forecast for the southwest monsoon, expressed as a percentage of the Long Period Average (LPA), is issued for the country by which one of the following?

  • A. India Meteorological Department
  • B. Central Water Commission
  • C. National Remote Sensing Centre
  • D. Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services

Q19. Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) is best known as India's largest port of which one of the following categories?

  • A. Container port
  • B. Iron-ore export port
  • C. Crude-oil import terminal
  • D. Fishing harbour

Q20. With reference to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. It was commissioned in 1989 and today ranks as India's premier container port.
  2. It was earlier constituted as the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust before being reconstituted as a Port Authority.
  3. It is located on the eastern coast of India near Kolkata.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q21. India's strategic petroleum reserves are designed to provide emergency import cover for approximately how many days of supply during a disruption?

  • A. About 9–10 days
  • B. About 30 days
  • C. About 74 days
  • D. About 90 days

Q22. Among the world's maritime oil-transit chokepoints, which one alone carries roughly a quarter of all globally traded seaborne oil, making it the single most critical energy chokepoint?

  • A. Strait of Malacca
  • B. Bab el-Mandeb Strait
  • C. Strait of Hormuz
  • D. Bosporus (Turkish Straits)

Q23. As per the India Meteorological Department's classification, a 'deficient' southwest monsoon for the country as a whole is defined as seasonal rainfall that is:

  • A. Less than 90% of the Long Period Average
  • B. Between 90% and 96% of the Long Period Average
  • C. Between 96% and 104% of the Long Period Average
  • D. Between 104% and 110% of the Long Period Average

Q24. The Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), used to track the state of ENSO, is based on which one of the following?

  • A. The sea-level atmospheric pressure difference between Tahiti (eastern South Pacific) and Darwin (western Pacific)
  • B. The sea-surface temperature anomaly between the eastern and central equatorial Pacific
  • C. The difference in trade-wind speed between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans
  • D. The salinity gradient between the western and eastern Indian Ocean

Q25. The El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle is conventionally described as consisting of how many distinct phases?

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

Q26. The unification of Kannada-speaking regions into a single State in 1956 (the State later renamed Karnataka) was given legal effect by which one of the following?

  • A. The Government of India Act, 1935
  • B. The States Reorganisation Act, 1956
  • C. The Andhra State Act, 1953
  • D. The Bombay Reorganisation Act, 1960

Q27. In the geographic classification of the Pacific Islands, Fiji is generally grouped under which one of the following subregions?

  • A. Melanesia
  • B. Polynesia
  • C. Micronesia
  • D. Australasia

Q28. Consider the following statements about Fiji: 1. It is an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, surrounding the Koro Sea. 2. Its capital and chief port, Suva, lies on Viti Levu, which is larger than the country's second island, Vanua Levu. 3. Fiji forms part of the Polynesian subregion of the Pacific Islands. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. It is an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, surrounding the Koro Sea.
  2. Its capital and chief port, Suva, lies on Viti Levu, which is larger than the country's second island, Vanua Levu.
  3. Fiji forms part of the Polynesian subregion of the Pacific Islands.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q29. The Strait of Hormuz, through which a large share of India's LPG imports transits, connects the Persian Gulf to which of the following?

  • A. The Red Sea
  • B. The Gulf of Oman, opening onto the Arabian Sea
  • C. The Mediterranean Sea
  • D. The Gulf of Aden

Q30. With reference to the Strait of Hormuz, consider the following statements: 1. It connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman. 2. It lies between Iran to the north and Oman to the south. 3. It connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. 4. Roughly one-fifth of global petroleum liquids consumption transits through it. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. It connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman.
  2. It lies between Iran to the north and Oman to the south.
  3. It connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
  4. Roughly one-fifth of global petroleum liquids consumption transits through it.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 4