UPSC 2026 GS Paper 1

Consider the following assertion:
In the Pleistocene period either the Yamuna once flowed into the Indus, or the Sutlej flowed into the Yamuna and one major tributary of either had shifted from the Ganga to the Indus or vice versa.

Which of the following is/are the basis of the above assertion?

1. The Nadi-Sukta of the Rigveda
2. The explorations of the Sutlej and the Yamuna by Robert Bruce Foote
3. The presence of the same species of dolphins in both the Indus and the Ganga river systems

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. 1 and 2
4. 3

What does an empty seat represent in early Buddhist iconography?

1. The meditation of the Buddha
2. The Buddha's First Sermon
3. The Buddha's Mahaparinibbana
4. The Buddha's Mahabhinishkramana

Which of the following pairs of ancient and modern names of rivers is/are correctly matched?

• 1. Vitasta ⟶ Chenab
• 2. Asikni ⟶ Jhelum
• 3. Parushni ⟶ Ravi
• 4. Yavyavati ⟶ Beas

Select the answer using the code given below:

1. 1 and 2
2. 3 and 4
3. 3 only
4. 4 only

Which of the following statements on the Amaravati Stupa and its relief sculpture is/are correct?

1. It was located in the lower Krishna valley.
2. In India, it was next only to the Sanchi Stupa in size.
3. The Amaravati school of sculpture made a lasting impact on the later South Indian sculpture, and its products were carried to Sri Lanka and South-east Asia.

Select the answer using the code given below:

1. 1 only
2. 1 and 3 only
3. 2 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Which of the following pairs of the king and his dynasty in early historical Tamilakam is/are not correctly matched?

• 1. Senguttuvan ⟶ Chera
• 2. Udiyanjeral ⟶ Chola
• 3. Nedunjeliyan ⟶ Pandya

Select the answer using the code given below:

1. 1 and 2
2. 2 only
3. 1 and 3
4. 3 only

Which of the following factors contributed to the formation of the Forward Bloc by Subhas Chandra Bose in 1939?

1. Bose failed to win the confidence of Mahatma Gandhi.
2. The Congress Left was disunited and failed to support Bose.
3. The Communists did not support Bose in his endeavours.
4. The supporters of M.N. Roy and socialist leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan preferred Congress unity to supporting Bose.

1. 1, 2 and 3
2. 1, 2 and 4
3. 1, 3 and 4
4. 2 and 4 only

Consider the following statements regarding the British policy in Awadh immediately after its annexation in 1856:

1. The taluqdars were dispossessed of their estates but allowed to retain their arms and forts.
2. A Summary Revenue Settlement was made in 1856 assuming that the taluqdars were outsiders.
3. The British believed in taking revenue directly from the peasants by removing the taluqdars.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 2 and 3 only
2. 1 and 3 only
3. 1, 2 and 3
4. 2 only

Consider the following assertion:
The genesis of political alliances based on community lay in the very nature of the Montague-Chelmsford Reforms, 1919.

Which of the following statements support/supports the above assertion?

1. Reforms retained and extended the principle of separate electorates.
2. Separate electorates were supposed to counter Indian nationalism, which was growing stronger.
3. Deprived classes rallied around the favours inherent in separate electorates.

1. 1 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 2 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur, the famous classical singer from Karnataka, represented the:

1. Agra Gharana
2. Gwalior Gharana
3. Patiala Gharana
4. Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana

In which one among the following texts does the term kshetra-patni ('mistress of the field') originate?

1. Rigveda
2. Atharvaveda
3. Ashtadhyayi
4. Arthashastra