Geography Optional Question Paper 2013

The Geography Optional Question Paper 2013 was set for UPSC Civil Services Mains 2013 — the first year of the restructured Mains pattern, and the earliest paper in the current PYQ set. Paper I and Paper II carry 250 marks each, three hours each. Both papers are reproduced below exactly as UPSC asked them, followed by a unit-wise breakdown of what the paper tested, what the 2013 pattern tells you about how the Commission frames questions, and how to work through these questions instead of only reading them.

Examination	UPSC Civil Services Mains 2013 — Geography Optional
Papers	Paper I (Physical & Human Geography) and Paper II (Geography of India)
Marks	250 per paper — 500 total
Duration	3 hours per paper
Structure	Section A and Section B, four questions each. Q1 and Q5 are compulsory.
What is unusual	Paper I Q4 and Q8 carry only two parts of 25 marks each, and Paper II splits the map work across Q1(a) and Q5(e). Both features disappeared in later years.

Every question on this page, already answered

Reading a past paper tells you what UPSC asked. It does not tell you what a 300-plus answer to it looks like — and that is the part that decides your marks. The Geography Optional 300+ Score Pack carries a written model answer for every question the Commission has set since 2013, including every question on this 2013 paper.

820 solved PYQ model answers (2013–2026) — topic-wise across all 20 units, Paper I and Paper II
20 PYQ pattern & strategy reports — one per unit: what repeats, what is due, what UPSC rewards
Diagrams and maps drawn inside the answers, at the exact point where you would draw them in the exam hall
500 days of access from your enrolment date — covered right through Mains 2027

₹1,770 (regular ₹2,500) — about ₹2.16 per model answer. One-time payment, no subscription.

See the 2013 paper solved

Geography Optional Question Paper-1 (2013)

Geography Optional Notes {PDF}

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Paper I covers Physical Geography in Section A — Geomorphology, Climatology, Oceanography, Biogeography and Environmental Geography — and Human Geography in Section B, including Perspectives, Economic Geography, Population and Settlement Geography, Regional Planning, and Models, Theories and Laws. Q1 and Q5 are compulsory.

Paper I — Section A

Q1. Write short notes on the following in about 150 words each (10 × 5 = 50)

(a) Differences between the normal cycle and the arid cycle of Davis. (10)
(b) Differentiate storm surges and seiches. (10)
(c) Uniqueness of fauna in the Notogean realm. (10)
(d) Impact of the Pleistocene Ice Age on the crust of the Earth. (10)
(e) Types of endemic plants and their degree of vulnerability to extinction. (10)

Q2. Answer the following in about 250 words each (20 + 15 + 15 = 50)

(a) With suitable examples, bring out the impact of local winds on the climate of an area. (20)
(b) What are the characteristics that make CHC a serious threat to the ecosystem? Give examples. (15)
(c) What is ‘base level’? Explain the types of base level. (15)

Q3. Answer the following in about 250 words each (20 + 15 + 15 = 50)

(a) “Offshore acoustic study helped the development of the concept of seafloor spreading.” Explain. (20)
(b) Discuss dew point and the various forms of condensation. (15)
(c) Bring out the relationship between climate and vegetation in the mountain biome. (15)

Q4. Answer the following in about 400 words each (25 × 2 = 50)

(a) Compare the subsidence and glacial control theories on the formation of coral reefs. (25)
(b) Explain the levels of noise pollution and the legislative measures to control it. (25)

Paper I — Section B

Q5. Write short notes on the following in about 150 words each (10 × 5 = 50)

(a) “Ellen Churchill Semple is an ardent supporter of determinism.” Explain. (10)
(b) Role of Venezuela in the production and export of oil. (10)
(c) Misra’s theoretical stages of the rural-urban process. (10)
(d) Countries most affected in case of shut-down of nuclear power. (10)
(e) Relevance of the Heartland theory in the contemporary world. (10)

Q6. Answer the following in about 250 words each (50)

(a) What is geriatrics? What are the problems associated with the geriatric population? (20)
(b) Discuss the changing pattern of production and export of coffee in the world. (10)
(c) What are the basic postulates in the Central Place Model of Christaller? (20)

Q7. Answer the following in about 250 words each (20 + 15 + 15 = 50)

(a) “Urban solid waste management poses the greatest challenge in metropolitan planning.” Elaborate. (20)
(b) Analyse the reasons for a comparatively poorer development of fishing grounds in tropical areas. (15)
(c) Explain the parameters for assessment and the spatial pattern of the Human Development Index in the world. (15)

Q8. Write about the following in about 400 words each (25 × 2 = 50)

(a) “Urban geography is nothing but city ‘in’ area and city ‘as’ area.” Elaborate. (25)
(b) Analyse the causes for changes in the pattern of world trade. (25)

Could you actually write these answers — in 20 minutes each?

That is the honest test of a past paper, and it is where Paper I marks are lost. Not in knowing plate tectonics or the tricellular circulation, but in structuring the answer, placing the right labelled diagram at the right point, and finishing inside the time available. The 300+ Score Pack gives you the written form of each of these 2013 answers, so you are studying a structure instead of inventing one under pressure.

Paper II is reproduced below. Before you scroll on, mark the three questions above you could not attempt today — those are the ones to read the model answers for first.

See how a 300-plus answer is written

Geography Optional Question Paper-2 (2013)

Paper II is the Geography of India paper. In 2013 the map work was split between Q1(a) in Section A and Q5(e) of the compulsory question in Section B — five locations each, 10 marks apiece.

Paper II — Section A

Q1(a). On the outline map of India provided to you, mark the location of all of the following. Write in your QCA Booklet the significance of these locations, whether physical / commercial / economic / ecological / environmental / cultural, in not more than 30 words for each entry (2 × 5 = 10)

Mishmi Hills
Lipulekh Pass
Beas River
Rihand Dam
Amarnath

Q1(b) to Q1(e). Answer in about 150 words each (10 × 4 = 40)

(b) Explain the topographical and structural characteristics of the Siwalik Range. (10)
(c) Discuss the mechanism of the Indian monsoon. (10)
(d) Identify the main industrial clusters of India and account for their development. (10)
(e) Explain the method of delineating crop association regions with reference to India. (10)

Q2. (20 + 15 + 15 = 50)

(a) Discuss the potentiality and present status of horticulture in the Western and Central Himalaya. (20 marks, about 250 words)
(b) Delineate the coalfields of India and mention their distinctive features. (15 marks, about 150 words)
(c) Explain the role of multinationals in globalisation of industries in India. (15 marks, about 150 words)

Q3. (20 + 15 + 15 = 50)

(a) Distributional pattern of industries in India does not provide requisite basis for division of the country into distinct industrial regions. Elaborate. (20 marks, about 250 words)
(b) Discuss the role of institutional factors in shaping the pattern of Indian agriculture. (15 marks, about 150 words)
(c) What do you understand by Young India? How can the present state of population composition be converted into an asset for the country? (15 marks, about 150 words)

Q4. (20 + 15 + 15 = 50)

(a) Comment on the feasibility of interlinking of rivers of India and its possible contribution to resolution of the water crisis. (20 marks, about 250 words)
(b) Define agricultural productivity. Mention the methods of its measurement and bring out the disparities in its regional distribution. (15 marks, about 150 words)
(c) Discuss the problems in realisation of benefits of globalisation and liberalisation in industrial sectors of India. (15 marks, about 150 words)

Paper II — Section B

Q5. For Q5(a) to Q5(d), write about 150 words each; answer Q5(e) as directed therein (50)

(a) City regions as a territorial unit for regional planning and development. (10)
(b) Snags in the Food Security Policy in India. (10)
(c) Demographic dividend and its implications on the Indian socio-economic environment. (10)
(d) Planning and development of ‘tribal regions’ in India. (10)

Q5(e). On the outline map of India provided to you, mark the location of all of the following. Write in your QCA Booklet the significance of these locations, whether physical / commercial / economic / ecological / environmental / cultural, in not more than 30 words for each entry (2 × 5 = 10)

Rajgir
Sindri
National Highway No. 24
Churk
Indira Gandhi Canal

Q6. (20 + 15 + 15 = 50)

(a) Write a note on geopolitics of the Indian Ocean realm. (20 marks, about 250 words)
(b) Comment on the basis of creation of new States in India in 2000. (15 marks, about 150 words)
(c) Enumerate the basic indicators of development and explain their application in identification of the spatial diversity in development in India. (15 marks, about 150 words)

Q7. (20 + 15 + 15 = 50)

(a) Write a note on the emergence of the National Settlement System in colonial India and discuss the factors contributing to urbanisation in the post-independence period. (20 marks, about 250 words)
(b) Define slums and explain their problems. (15 marks, about 150 words)
(c) Discuss the objective of ‘Vision 2020’ in creation of a viable village complex in India for the ‘Inclusive Rural Development’ Programme. (15 marks, about 150 words)

Q8. (20 + 15 + 15 = 50)

(a) Identify the earthquake-prone zones and suggest strategies for their management. (20 marks, about 250 words)
(b) Describe the impact of linguistic diversity on the development of various regions of India. (15 marks, about 150 words)
(c) Describe how urbanisation creates air and water pollution in India. (15 marks, about 150 words)

What the 2013 Geography Optional paper actually tested

The 2013 paper is the earliest in the current set and the one with the most unusual internal structure. Mapping its questions onto the syllabus shows both what has stayed constant since and what the Commission has since dropped.

Paper I — unit-wise spread (2013)

Syllabus unit	Questions	Count
Geomorphology	Q1(a), Q1(d), Q2(c), Q3(a)	4
Climatology	Q2(a), Q3(b)	2
Oceanography	Q1(b), Q4(a)	2
Biogeography and soils	Q1(c), Q1(e), Q3(c)	3
Environmental Geography	Q2(b), Q4(b)	2
Perspectives in Human Geography	Q5(a), Q7(c), Q8(a)	3
Economic Geography	Q5(b), Q5(d), Q6(b), Q7(b), Q8(b)	5
Population and Settlement Geography	Q5(c), Q6(a), Q7(a)	3
Models, Theories and Laws	Q5(e), Q6(c)	2

Paper II — unit-wise spread (2013)

Syllabus area	Questions	Count
Map questions	Q1(a), Q5(e)	2 (20 marks)
Physical setting and climate	Q1(b), Q1(c)	2
Resources, water and environment	Q2(b), Q4(a), Q8(c)	3
Agriculture and food	Q1(e), Q2(a), Q3(b), Q4(b), Q5(b)	5
Industry	Q1(d), Q2(c), Q3(a), Q4(c)	4
Population	Q3(c), Q5(c)	2
Settlements and urbanisation	Q7(a), Q7(b)	2
Regional development and planning	Q5(a), Q5(d), Q6(c), Q7(c)	4
Political aspects and cultural setting	Q6(a), Q6(b), Q8(b)	3
Hazards	Q8(a)	1

Five things the 2013 paper tells you about UPSC’s pattern

It is the only recent paper with 400-word, 25-mark answers. Q4 and Q8 of Paper I carried two parts of 25 marks each instead of the usual three-part 20-15-15 split. Every paper since has used the three-part structure, so treat 2013 as a content bank rather than a timing rehearsal.
Economic Geography carried Section B. Venezuelan oil, a nuclear shutdown, world coffee, tropical fishing grounds and world trade — five of the thirteen Section B slots. Notice how many are about a single commodity or country: this is the year that shows you cannot prepare Economic Geography purely as theory.
The physical questions were older-school and sharper. Davis’s normal and arid cycles, base level, seiches, the Notogean realm, the Pleistocene effect on the crust. These are precise textbook topics with precise answers, and they reward the candidate who revised definitions over the one who read widely.
Paper II was an industry paper. Industrial clusters, multinationals and globalisation, the case against distinct industrial regions, and the benefits of liberalisation — four questions, three of them 20-markers or close. No paper since has weighted industry this heavily.
The map question was split and hidden. Five locations in Q1(a), and five more tucked inside Q5(e) at the end of the Section B compulsory question. Candidates who budgeted for one map question found a second one waiting. Read the whole paper before you start writing — that habit is worth marks in any year.

How to use this paper (rather than just read it)

Write Q1 and Q5 first, under a clock. Ten short notes, 150 words each, 100 marks. Give yourself 90 minutes for the ten and see how many you can finish. This single exercise tells you more about your readiness than a week of reading.
Treat 2013 as a definitions bank. Base level, seiche, Notogean realm, geriatrics, compage-adjacent terms, the rank of Davis’s cycles. Many of these reappear in later papers in a reframed form.
Mark every question you could not start. Not the ones you answered badly — the ones where you had nothing. Those are syllabus gaps, and they are far cheaper to fix than weak answers.
Read the whole paper before writing. 2013 is the clearest argument for it: the second map question sits at the very end of Q5. Two minutes of reading protects you from a structural surprise.
Compare your answer against a model answer, not against the syllabus. The gap you need to close is a writing gap. Reading more notes does not close it; seeing the finished shape of a 300-plus answer does.

Two ways to prepare for the papers above

Past papers are the syllabus UPSC actually examines. What you do next with them decides the marks. Two LotusArise systems are built for the two different gaps aspirants have at this stage.

	300+ Score Pack	Mains Master Kit 2027
Best for	You already have notes and your gap is answer writing	You are starting Geography Optional and want one complete system
Core content	820 solved PYQ model answers (2013–2026), topic-wise across all 20 units	Complete Notes PDF for Paper I & II — 3,000+ pages covering the full syllabus
Also inside	20 unit-wise PYQ pattern & strategy reports; diagrams and maps inside the answers	Topic-wise test series questions for both papers; 12 months premium article access; 500+ mapped locations
Access	500 days from enrolment	12 months, all devices, offline
Price	₹1,770 (regular ₹2,500)	₹1,770 (regular ₹5,000)

Both are one-time payments with instant access and no subscription. If you are unsure, start with the 300+ Score Pack — answer writing is the constraint for most aspirants who have already read the syllabus once.

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Geography Optional Question Paper 2013 — FAQs

250 marks per paper, 500 marks for the optional as a whole. Each paper runs three hours and has two sections of four questions each, with Q1 and Q5 compulsory.

Two reasons. Paper I Q4 and Q8 carried only two parts of 25 marks each instead of the usual 20-15-15 split, and Paper II put five map locations in Q1(a) and five more inside Q5(e). Both features were dropped in later years, so 2013 is best used as a content bank rather than a timing rehearsal.

Q1(a) asked for Mishmi Hills, Lipulekh Pass, Beas River, Rihand Dam and Amarnath. Q5(e), at the end of the Section B compulsory question, asked for Rajgir, Sindri, National Highway No. 24, Churk and the Indira Gandhi Canal.

Economic Geography took five of the thirteen Section B slots in Paper I — Venezuelan oil, nuclear shutdown, world coffee, tropical fishing grounds and world trade. Paper II leaned unusually hard on industry, with four questions, and on agriculture and food, with five.

Yes, for the concepts. Davis’s cycles, base level, seiches, Christaller’s postulates, the Heartland theory and the rural-urban process are all still examinable, and several have reappeared in reframed form in later years. The structure and the commodity-specific Paper I questions are the parts that have dated.

The Geography Optional 300+ Score Pack starts at 2013 and carries written model answers for every previous-year question from this paper onwards, arranged topic-wise rather than year-wise, with diagrams drawn inside the answers at the point where you would draw them in the exam hall.