2026 GS Paper I, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2026 · GS Paper I

Question 15: History and Culture

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

1SenguttuvanChera
2UdiyanjeralChola
3NedunjeliyanPandya

Select the answer using the code given below :

a1 and 2
b2 only
c1 and 3
d3 only

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (b).

Senguttuvan was a Chera king, the hero of the Silappadikaram tradition, and Nedunjeliyan was a Pandya king. Udiyanjeral (Udiyan Cheral) was a Chera king, not a Chola, so pair 2 is wrongly matched. The question asks for the pair that is not correct, so only pair 2 qualifies. Remember: Karikala and Killivalavan were Cholas, while Udiyanjeral, Nedunjeral Adan and Senguttuvan were Cheras.

  • 1. Senguttuvan was a Chera king.
  • 2. Udiyanjeral was a Chera, not a Chola.
  • 3. Nedunjeliyan was a Pandya king.
Why each option is right or wrong
  • (a) Wrong: Senguttuvan was a Chera, so pair 1 is correct.
  • (b) Right: Udiyanjeral was a Chera, not a Chola.
  • (c) Wrong: pairs 1 and 3 are both correctly matched.
  • (d) Wrong: Nedunjeliyan was a Pandya, so pair 3 is correct.

Only the provisional key (27 May 2026) was found; the final key replaces it when found.

Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.

Practise this paper timedPrevious questionNext question

Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2026, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.