42 practice questions on Mineral & Energy Resources from the Geography section of the UPSC Prelims syllabus.
42 come with a written explanation and 9 are actual previous year questions.
Try the sample set below - the answer stays hidden until you ask for it.
2 Easy20 Medium20 Hard9 from past papers
Sample questions
Q1
Previous year questionhard
Consider the following statements:
1. In India, State Governments do not have the power to auction non-coal mines.
2. Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand do not have gold mines.
3. Rajasthan has iron ore mines.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A1 and 2
B2 only
C1 and 3
D3 only
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D - 3 only
Only statement 3 is correct, so 'D' is the answer. State Governments do have the power to auction non-coal (minor and certain major) mineral blocks, so statement 1 is wrong. Statement 2 is wrong because Andhra Pradesh (Ramagiri) and Jharkhand do have gold-bearing areas. Statement 3 is correct since Rajasthan has iron-ore deposits (for example in the Morija-Banol belt). Hence 'D' (3 only).
Q2
Previous year questionhard
Which of the following is/are the characteristic/characteristics of Indian coal?
1. High ash content
2. Low sulphur content
3. Low ash fusion temperature
Select the correct answer using the codes given below.
A1 and 2 only
B2 only
C1 and 3 only
D1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A - 1 and 2 only
Indian coal is notorious for its high ash content (statement 1) and is also marked by low sulphur content (statement 2), both well-established features, so option (a) is correct. Statement 3 is wrong because Indian coal generally has a high ash fusion temperature, not a low one, which is why options (c) and (d) are eliminated, and option (b) is too narrow because it omits the valid high ash characteristic. The official key marks the answer as 1 and 2 only.
Q3
Previous year questionmedium
With reference to India, consider the following statements:
1. Monazite is a source of rare earths.
2. Monazite contains thorium.
3. Monazite occurs naturally in the entire Indian coastal sands in India.
4. In India, Government bodies only can process or export monazite.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
A1, 2 and 3 only
B1, 2 and 4 only
C3 and 4 only
D1, 2, 3 and 4
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B - 1, 2 and 4 only
Monazite is a phosphate mineral that is a key source of rare earth elements and also contains thorium, so statements 1 and 2 are correct. It is concentrated in beach sands of specific coastal stretches such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Odisha, not the entire Indian coastline, so statement 3 is wrong. Because it is a prescribed atomic mineral, only government bodies are permitted to process and export it, making statement 4 correct. Hence 1, 2 and 4 are correct.
Q4
Previous year questionhard
Consider the following statements:
1. Natural gas occurs in the Gondwana beds.
2. Mica occurs in abundance in Kodarma.
3. Dharwars are famous for petroleum.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A1 and 2
B2 only
C2 and 3
DNone
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B - 2 only
Kodarma in Jharkhand is one of India's most famous mica-producing belts, so statement 2 is correct and option (b) is the answer. Statement 1 is wrong because Gondwana beds are associated chiefly with coal deposits rather than natural gas, which is found in Tertiary sedimentary basins. Statement 3 is incorrect because the Dharwar rocks are among the oldest metamorphic and igneous formations rich in metallic minerals like iron and manganese, not petroleum, which occurs in younger sedimentary basins, so options (a), (c) and (d) are eliminated.
Q5
Previous year questionhard
Consider the following minerals:
1. Bentonite
2. Chromite
3. Kyanite
4. Sillimanite
In India, which of the above is/are officially designated as major minerals?
A1 and 2 only
B4 only
C1 and 3 only
D2, 3 and 4 only
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D - 2, 3 and 4 only
Under India's mineral classification, chromite, kyanite and sillimanite are notified as major minerals, so 2, 3 and 4 are correct. Bentonite is classified as a minor mineral, whose regulation is left to state governments, so statement 1 is wrong. The major-minor distinction is administrative rather than based on the mineral's economic value. Hence the correct combination is 2, 3 and 4 only.
Q6
Previous year questionmedium
In which of the following regions of India are shale gas resources found?
1. Cambay Basin
2. Cauvery Basin
3. Krishna-Godavari Basin
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
A1 and 2 only
B3 only
C2 and 3 only
D1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D - 1, 2 and 3
All three basins listed hold identified shale gas resources. Studies by ONGC and the US Energy Information Administration list the Cambay basin in Gujarat, the Krishna-Godavari basin on the east coast, the Cauvery basin in Tamil Nadu, and the Damodar Valley as India's principal shale gas bearing sedimentary basins. Since each of the three statements is correct, every option that omits any one of the basins can be eliminated, making the inclusive option the right choice.
Q7
Previous year questioneasy
Consider the following pairs :
Country : Resource-rich in
I. Botswana : Diamond
II. Chile : Lithium
III. Indonesia : Nickel
In how many of the above rows is the given information correctly matched?
AOnly one
BOnly two
CAll the three
DNone
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C - All the three
Botswana is one of the world's leading diamond producers, Chile holds vast lithium reserves in its salt flats, and Indonesia has the largest nickel reserves and output in the world. All three country-resource pairs are therefore correctly matched. Hence all three rows are correct.
Q8
Previous year questionmedium
Consider the following statements:
1. Gujarat has the largest solar park in India.
2. Kerala has a fully solar powered International Airport.
3. Goa has the largest floating solar photovoltaic project in India.
Which of the statements given below is/are correct?
A1 and 2
B2 only
C1 and 3
D3 only
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B - 2 only
At the time of the exam the largest solar park in India was Bhadla in Rajasthan, not in Gujarat, so statement 1 is wrong. Cochin International Airport in Kerala became the world's first fully solar-powered airport, so statement 2 is correct. The largest floating solar projects were located in states like Telangana, not Goa, so statement 3 is wrong. Hence only statement 2 is correct.
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