All PYQ years

UPSC Prelims 2024 — practice paper

Every question from UPSC Prelims 2024 (GS Paper I), with answers and explanations. The full 2024 paper is hosted on Sambodh IAS with concept tagging and adaptive revision. Below is a preview of three sample questions; create a free account to attempt the entire paper under timed conditions.

100
Questions
200
Marks
2 hr
Duration

Sample questions from 2024

Q1 · economics
Consider the following statements: 1. In India, Non-Banking Financial Companies can access the Liquidity Adjustment Facility window of the Reserve Bank of India. 2. In India, Foreign Institutional Investors can hold the Government Securities (G-Sec) 3. In India, Stock Exchanges can offer separate trading platforms for debts. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
  • A.1 and 2 only
  • B.3 only
  • C.1, 2 and 3
  • D.2 and 3 only
Explanation

All three statements are correct. (1) Standalone Primary Dealers (SPDs) are regulated as NBFCs, and Primary Dealers are eligible counterparties in RBI’s LAF repo/reverse‑repo auctions; hence NBFCs (SPDs) can access the LAF window (RBI LAF scheme page; RBI FAQ noting SPDs are NBFCs). (2) Foreign institutional/portfolio investors are permitted to hold Government securities in India within limits notified by RBI; e.g., RBI circular dated 2024-04-26 set the G‑Sec FPI limit framework for FY 2024–25. (3) Indian stock exchanges may offer separate debt trading platforms; SEBI expressly permitted BSE and NSE to launch corporate bond trading platforms, and exchanges run dedicated debt segments (SEBI press release, 2007).

Q2 · economics
Consider the following statements: Statement-I : Syndicated lending spreads the risk of borrower default across multiple lenders. Statement-II : The syndicated loan can be a fixed amount/lump sum of funds, but cannot be a credit line. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
  • A.Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B.Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C.Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D.Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct
Explanation

Statement-I is correct: a syndicated loan is extended by a group of lenders, which allows them to share/diversify the credit risk of a single borrower (RBA Bulletin, June 2023). Statement-II is incorrect: syndicated facilities can be structured not only as fixed-term loans but also as revolving credit facilities/credit lines; BIS explicitly lists revolving credit among permitted forms of syndicated credit (BIS Quarterly Review, Nov 1997). BIS (Mar 2022) also notes that credit lines are common at origination in syndicated lending, confirming that a syndicated loan can indeed be a credit line. Therefore, Statement-I is correct and Statement-II is incorrect.

Q3 · history
With reference to revenue collection by Cornwallis, consider the following statements: 1. Under the Ryotwari Settlement of revenue collection, the peasants were exempted from revenue payment in case of bad harvests or natural calamities. 2. Under the Permanent Settlement in Bengal, if the Zamindar failed to pay his revenues to the state, on or before the fixed date, he would be removed from his Zamindari. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
  • A.1 only
  • B.2 only
  • C.Both 1 and 2
  • D.Neither 1 nor 2
Explanation

Statement 2 is correct: under the Permanent Settlement introduced by Lord Cornwallis in Bengal (1793), failure of a zamindar to remit the fixed revenue by the due date (the ‘Sunset Law’) led to his estate being taken/auctioned, effectively removing him from the zamindari (NCERT Class XII, Themes in Indian History Part III, Ch. 10). Statement 1 is not correct in the context of “revenue collection by Cornwallis” because the Ryotwari system was devised and implemented later in South India by Alexander Read and Sir Thomas Munro, not by Cornwallis (Britannica). Moreover, Ryotwari did not guarantee a blanket exemption from payment in bad seasons; at most, remissions could be considered case by case. Hence, only statement 2 is correct.

Attempt the full 2024 paper

Sign up free to practice all 100 questions, get instant explanations, and add your mistakes to an adaptive revision queue.

FAQs about Prelims 2024

How many questions were asked in UPSC Prelims 2024?

UPSC Prelims GS Paper I in 2024 had 100 objective questions, each carrying 2 marks for a total of 200 marks, attempted in 2 hours. CSAT Paper II had 80 questions for 200 marks (qualifying at 33 percent).

What was the cut-off for UPSC Prelims 2024?

UPSC publishes the official cut-off for each Prelims after the cycle ends. Cut-offs typically range from 75 to 92 marks for the General category in recent years. Refer to the UPSC notification for the official 2024 cut-off.

Where can I solve UPSC Prelims 2024 questions online?

Sambodh IAS hosts the full UPSC Prelims 2024 paper with concept tagging, instant explanations, and adaptive revision. Create a free account to start practising.