Geography MCQs for UPSC Prelims — June 2026

Q1. Following the 2019 reorganisation, which is the largest Union Territory of India by geographical area?

• A. Jammu and Kashmir
• B. Ladakh
• C. Andaman and Nicobar Islands
• D. Delhi (NCT)

Q2. The term 'Golden Triangle' for the Southeast Asian opium zone was coined in 1971 by which one of the following?

• A. Marshall Green, then U.S. Assistant Secretary of State
• B. Harry J. Anslinger, U.S. Commissioner of Narcotics
• C. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime
• D. The International Narcotics Control Board

Q3. Consider the following statements about features of the Israel–Lebanon frontier. Which of the statements given above is/are correctly identified?

1. Blue Line — a UN-set 'line of withdrawal' established in 2000, not an international border.
2. Shebaa Farms — a disputed area occupied by Israel and claimed by Lebanon and Syria.
3. Litani River — the line to north of which Hezbollah was to withdraw under Resolution 1701.
4. Golan Heights — territory internationally recognised as part of Lebanon.

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

Q4. The Aldabra Atoll of Seychelles, near which India's Assumption Island project is located, has been accorded World Heritage protected status by which one of the following bodies?

• A. UNESCO
• B. IUCN
• C. the Ramsar Convention Secretariat
• D. UNEP

Q5. The capital of Seychelles, Victoria, is situated on which one of the following — the largest island of the archipelago?

• A. Mahé
• B. Praslin
• C. La Digue
• D. Silhouette

Q6. Under the May 1994 Upper Yamuna water-sharing MoU, in times of scarcity which one of the following has the first (priority) claim to the available water for drinking purposes?

• A. National Capital Territory of Delhi
• B. Haryana
• C. Uttar Pradesh
• D. Rajasthan

Q7. The Shekhawati tract, targeted by the Yamuna pipeline, forms part of which desert — the largest in India?

• A. Thar Desert
• B. Rann of Kutch
• C. Cholistan Desert
• D. Spiti cold desert

Q8. With reference to the Shekhawati region, the principal intended beneficiary of the Yamuna Water Project, consider the following statements: 1. It comprises the districts of Sikar, Jhunjhunu and Churu. 2. It lies in the semi-arid Thar belt, with average annual rainfall of roughly 450–600 mm. 3. Unlike most of Rajasthan, it receives the bulk of its annual rainfall from the northeast (winter) monsoon rather than the southwest monsoon. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. It comprises the districts of Sikar, Jhunjhunu and Churu.
2. It lies in the semi-arid Thar belt, with average annual rainfall of roughly 450–600 mm.
3. Unlike most of Rajasthan, it receives the bulk of its annual rainfall from the northeast (winter) monsoon rather than the southwest monsoon.

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

Q9. With reference to the Hathnikund Barrage, consider the following statements: 1. It is situated on the Yamuna river in Haryana. 2. It diverts water into the Western Yamuna Canal as well as the Eastern Yamuna Canal. 3. The Western Yamuna Canal off-taking here meets the shares of both Haryana and Delhi. 4. The entire flow of the Yamuna is diverted into canals at the barrage, leaving no water in the river channel below it. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

1. It is situated on the Yamuna river in Haryana.
2. It diverts water into the Western Yamuna Canal as well as the Eastern Yamuna Canal.
3. The Western Yamuna Canal off-taking here meets the shares of both Haryana and Delhi.
4. The entire flow of the Yamuna is diverted into canals at the barrage, leaving no water in the river channel below it.

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

Q10. Releases of Yamuna water at the Hathnikund Barrage among the riparian states are regulated by the Upper Yamuna River Board, which functions under which one of the following Union ministries?

• A. Ministry of Jal Shakti
• B. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
• C. Ministry of Earth Sciences
• D. Ministry of Home Affairs

Q11. The Tungabhadra reservoir's storage capacity is often stated as about '105 tmc ft'. In this context, the unit 'TMC' precisely denotes which one of the following?

• A. Thousand million cubic feet of water
• B. Ten million cubic feet of water
• C. Total maximum capacity expressed in cubic metres
• D. Thousand metric cubic litres of water

Q12. Among the States that share the Tungabhadra Dam project, which one has the largest share of its total irrigation command area?

• A. Karnataka
• B. Andhra Pradesh
• C. Telangana
• D. Maharashtra

Q13. With reference to the irrigation command served by the Tungabhadra Dam project, which of the following are correctly identified as States that share its waters?

1. Karnataka
2. Andhra Pradesh
3. Telangana
4. Tamil Nadu

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

Q14. With reference to the geography of Seychelles, consider the following statements: 1. The Mahé group of Seychelles consists mainly of mountainous granitic islands. 2. The outlying group of Seychelles consists mainly of low, flat coralline islands. 3. The national capital, Victoria, is situated on one of the outer coralline islands. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. The Mahé group of Seychelles consists mainly of mountainous granitic islands.
2. The outlying group of Seychelles consists mainly of low, flat coralline islands.
3. The national capital, Victoria, is situated on one of the outer coralline islands.

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

Q15. Which one of the following is the largest island of Seychelles, on which its capital Victoria is situated?

• A. Mahé
• B. Praslin
• C. La Digue
• D. Assumption

Q16. The Mw 7.5 mainshock of 24 June 2026 was reported as the strongest earthquake to strike Venezuela since which event?

• A. The 1900 San Narciso earthquake
• B. The 1967 Caracas earthquake
• C. The 1812 Caracas earthquake
• D. The 1997 Cariaco earthquake

Q17. After the withdrawal of the revised earthquake design code in March 2026, the seismic zonation of India is currently governed by which standard?

• A. IS 1893 (Part 1): 2016
• B. IS 1893 (Part 1): 2025
• C. IS 456: 2000
• D. IS 13920: 2016

Q18. Following the March 2026 rollback of the revised seismic code, into how many seismic zones is India presently divided under the governing Bureau of Indian Standards map?

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

Q19. Which one of the following is the single largest destination for India's fresh mango exports?

• A. United States
• B. United Arab Emirates
• C. United Kingdom
• D. Singapore

Q20. Which mango variety became the first to be commercially exported from India to Singapore by sea route under the ICAR-CISH protocol?

• A. Alphonso
• B. Kesar
• C. Banganapalli
• D. Dasheri

Q21. The North-South Corridor of the National Highways Development Project — the Srinagar-to-Kanyakumari axis now largely carried by NH-44, including its Kochi–Salem spur — connects how many States of the Indian Union?

• A. 7 States
• B. 9 States
• C. 13 States
• D. 17 States

Q22. Kampala, where Uganda confirmed an imported Ebola case in 2026, is the capital of Uganda and is geographically located on the northern shore of which water body?

• A. Lake Victoria
• B. Lake Tanganyika
• C. Lake Albert
• D. Lake Kivu

Q23. In the context of the 2026 Ebola outbreak, the 'African Great Lakes region' (where the DRC and Uganda are situated) is best described as which one of the following?

• A. The region of East-Central Africa around the rift-valley lakes, including the DRC, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and Kenya
• B. The Sahelian region of West Africa centred on Lake Chad, spanning Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon
• C. The Southern African region around Lake Malawi, comprising Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia
• D. The Horn of Africa region around Lake Turkana, comprising Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia

Q24. Under the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal's Final Award (as modified by the Supreme Court), which State/UT received the single largest allocation of the river's dependable annual flow?

• A. Tamil Nadu
• B. Karnataka
• C. Kerala
• D. Puducherry

Q25. In the 2026 El Niño assessment, how many districts were classified as being of 'primary concern' on account of irrigation coverage below 25%?

• A. 111
• B. 76
• C. 128
• D. 315

Q26. Among the three priority categories into which the 315 vulnerable districts were grouped in 2026, which category contains the largest number of districts?

• A. Category 3 (low priority, better irrigation)
• B. Category 1 (primary concern, irrigation below 25%)
• C. Category 2 (medium priority, irrigation 25–50%)
• D. All three categories contain an equal number of districts

Q27. With reference to the three-tier classification of the 315 vulnerable districts in the 2026 El Niño contingency assessment, consider the following statements: 1. Category 1 (primary concern) districts have irrigation coverage below 25%. 2. Category 2 (medium priority) districts have irrigation coverage between 25% and 50%. 3. Category 3 (low priority) districts are fewer in number than Category 1 districts. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. Category 1 (primary concern) districts have irrigation coverage below 25%.
2. Category 2 (medium priority) districts have irrigation coverage between 25% and 50%.
3. Category 3 (low priority) districts are fewer in number than Category 1 districts.

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

Q28. In the 2026 El Niño preparedness exercise, the term 'district of primary concern' (Category 1) is defined on the basis of which one of the following criteria?

• A. A district where irrigation coverage is below 25%, making it almost entirely rain-fed
• B. A district where the entire net sown area lies within the monsoon core zone
• C. A district that recorded more than 50% rainfall deficit in the previous Kharif season
• D. A district where groundwater extraction has been officially classified as 'over-exploited'

Q29. In the GSI's reporting of the Reasi lithium find, the deposit was classified as a 'G3' resource. In the United Nations Framework Classification (UNFC) exploration stages used by GSI, what does the G3 stage precisely denote?

• A. Preliminary exploration yielding an 'inferred' mineral resource
• B. Detailed exploration yielding a fully 'measured' mineral reserve ready for mining
• C. Reconnaissance survey yielding only a 'reconnaissance' mineral resource
• D. General exploration yielding an 'indicated' mineral resource

Q30. The Geological Survey of India established an inferred (G3) resource of lithium ore in the Salal-Haimana area of Reasi district, Jammu & Kashmir. What is the size of this inferred resource?

• A. 5.9 million tonnes
• B. 1.6 million tonnes
• C. 14.9 million tonnes
• D. 9.0 million tonnes