Intriguing IAS Interview Questions

In today's competitive world, many young individuals aspire to become high-ranking officials, with the IAS being a coveted goal. The UPSC examination is regarded as one of the toughest in the country.

While numerous candidates put in immense effort to succeed, not everyone achieves their goal. The interview stage of this examination is particularly challenging.

Every year, millions of students apply for the UPSC Civil Services Examination, hoping to pass and become IAS officers. However, this journey is far from straightforward. First, passing the exam itself is a significant achievement, and then clearing the interview poses an even greater challenge.

Once candidates pass the civil service exam, they face the daunting interview process, which is known for its difficulty. Many candidates fail at this stage due to the complex and thought-provoking questions posed to them. These questions are designed to test the candidates' mental agility, making it a tough hurdle to overcome.

In this article, we will explore some of the intriguing questions that are often asked during IAS interviews. You might be surprised to learn that some of these questions are both challenging and amusing, with seemingly simple answers that can leave candidates pondering.

Here are some examples of questions and their answers from IAS interviews:

Question: Why is walking on snow more difficult than walking on a road?
Answer: Snow has less friction compared to a road, making it harder to walk on.

Question: A man said about a girl, 'Her mother's father is my father-in-law.' Who is the girl to the man?
Answer: The girl is his daughter.

Question: Who became the youngest Prime Minister in the world?
Answer: Sanna Marin of Finland holds the record as the youngest Prime Minister.

Question: In which country are girls unmarried due to a shortage of boys for marriage?
Answer: In the town of Noevo do Cordel in Brazil, there is a significant shortage of boys.

Question: If your uncle's sister is not your aunt, then who is she?
Answer: She is your mother.

Question: Which animal cries like humans when injured?
Answer: A bear.

Question: A murderer is shown three rooms: one on fire, one with a rifle, and one with a tiger that hasn't eaten for three years. Which room should he choose?
Answer: Room three, as the tiger would have died from starvation.

Question: What solidifies when heated?
Answer: An egg solidifies when heated.

Question: Why do girls' shirts lack pockets?
Answer: To maintain the aesthetic appeal of the shirt.

Question: What is something that cannot be bought for oneself?
Answer: A shroud, as one cannot purchase it for themselves.

Question: What symbol can be placed between 6, 5, and 9 to make a number greater than 5 and less than 9?
Answer: A decimal point.

Question: Which substance does not contain protein?
Answer: Rice does not contain protein.

Question: What is the largest mosque in the world?
Answer: The Al-Malwiya Mosque in Iraq is the largest.

Question: In which country are there no temples?
Answer: Saudi Arabia has no temples.

Question: Which Mughal emperor established the Din-i Ilahi religious sect?
Answer: Akbar.

Question: Who coined the phrase 'Government of the people, by the people, for the people'?

Answer: Abraham Lincoln.

Question: Who was the president of the Constituent Assembly that drafted the Constitution of India?
Answer: Dr. Rajendra Prasad.

Question: Who assisted Rani Lakshmibai in the Gwalior uprising during the 1857 revolt?
Answer: Tatya Tope.

Question: Which state in India touches the borders of seven states?
Answer: Assam.

Question: Who decides whether a bill is a money bill?
Answer: The Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

Question: Which country was the first to impose a complete ban on tobacco?
Answer: Bhutan.

Question: Where will the first leather industry in the country be established?
Answer: Kanpur.

Question: Who was Afghanistan's first female break dancer?
Answer: Maniza Talash Udaan.

Question: Who is the author of the book 'Recollections of Life'?
Answer: Hamid.

Question: Who won the Roman Roland Book Prize in 2021?
Answer: Le Mariage de Plaisir.

Question: Where will the AFC Women's Football Asia Cup 2022 be held?
Answer: India.

Question: Which state government launched the UDYAM Sarthi app to inform youth about self-employment opportunities?
Answer: Uttar Pradesh.

Question: When is Martyrs' Day observed?
Answer: January 30.

Question: What is the name of the bird that appears on Twitter?
Answer: The bird on Twitter is named Larry.

Question: Who was the first Englishman to enter the Mughal court during Jahangir's reign?
Answer: Captain William Hawkins was the first Englishman.

Question: Which bird never lands on the ground?
Answer: The Harial, the state bird of Maharashtra, never lands on the ground.

Question: What is the strongest part of the human body?
Answer: The tongue is considered the strongest muscle.

Question: What is the Hindi term for police?
Answer: It is referred to as 'Rajkiya Jan Rakshak'.

Question: Why was the Tendulkar Committee formed?
Answer: It was formed to measure agricultural production.

Question: What is the Hindi term for a bank?
Answer: A bank is called 'Adhikosh' in Hindi.

Question: Where is the world's sweetest and purest water found?
Answer: Lake Baikal, which holds 20% of the world's surface freshwater.

Question: If cold and hot water are placed in a fridge, which will freeze first?
Answer: The hot water will freeze first.

Question: If one camel is facing north and another south, can they eat from the same bowl?
Answer: Yes, because they are facing each other.

Question: Which tree produces the most oxygen?
Answer: The Peepal tree emits the most oxygen.

Question: Which animal sleeps for two months after birth?
Answer: A bear sleeps for two months after birth.

Question: Which planet has the most moons?
Answer: Jupiter has the most moons in the solar system.

Question: What is the only word that contains fruit, flower, and sweet?
Answer: 'Gulab Jamun'.

Question: How can a man stay awake for eight days?
Answer: He sleeps at night.

Question: How many minutes are there in 365 days?
Answer: There are 525,600 minutes in a year.

Question: What is the longest grass in the world?
Answer: Bamboo is classified as the longest grass.

Question: Who took the second step on the moon?
Answer: Neil Armstrong took both the first and second steps.

Question: What is the fastest networking technology compared to Wi-Fi?
Answer: Li-Fi is faster than Wi-Fi.

Question: What animal can survive without drinking water?
Answer: A species of rat can live without drinking water.

Question: Who was the first person to receive an Aadhaar card in India?
Answer: The first Aadhaar card was issued to Ranjana Sonawane.

Question: Which railway station in India is half in Maharashtra and half in Gujarat?
Answer: Navapur is located on the border of both states.

Question: What is something that never rots?
Answer: Honey never spoils.

Question: In which country does the sun shine at midnight?
Answer: Norway experiences midnight sun.

Question: Which Union Territory is located between which two states?
Answer: Dadra and Nagar Haveli is situated between Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Question: Can two camels eat from the same bowl if one is facing north and the other south?
Answer: Yes, they can eat together as they are facing each other.

Question: What was the first game played on the moon?
Answer: Golf was played on the moon.

Question: Who can remain in their position only at the discretion of the President of India?
Answer: The Governor can remain in office at the President's discretion.

Question: How can you drop a raw egg on a solid surface without breaking it?
Answer: The solid surface will not break the egg, so it can be dropped in any manner.

Question: If you find out your wife is having an affair, what would you do?
Answer: The candidate responded that he would file a case against the man under Section 497 for adultery and try to reconcile with his wife.

Question: What increases continuously after eating?
Answer: Greed increases continuously once it takes hold of a person.

Question: What happens if someone accidentally drinks hand sanitizer?
Answer: Consuming alcohol-based hand sanitizer can damage the nervous system and lead to low blood sugar, coma, or seizures.

Question: A clock is running fast. If it was 5 minutes slow on Sunday at 8:00 AM and 7 minutes fast on Tuesday at 8:00 AM, when did it show the correct time?
Answer: The correct answer is 11:30.

Question: Which part of the body does not grow from childhood to old age?
Answer: The eye does not grow throughout a person's life.

Question: Why doesn't a truck driver get stopped by the police while driving on the wrong side?
Answer: The answer is that the truck driver was walking.

Question: What is the only Hindu nation in the world?
Answer: Nepal is the only Hindu nation in the world.

Question: What is the twin city of Kochi?
Answer: The twin city of Kochi is Ernakulam.

Question: Where is Eden Gardens Stadium located in India?
Answer: Eden Gardens Stadium is located in Kolkata, India.

Question: Which Governor-General's tenure is known for educational reforms?
Answer: The tenure of William Bentinck is known for educational reforms.

Question: What is something that women show and men hide?
Answer: The answer is 'purse'; women carry their purses openly while men tend to hide theirs.

Question: What is something that is green in youth and red in old age?
Answer: Chili peppers are green in youth and turn red in old age.

Question: What is something that poor people throw away and rich people keep in their pockets?
Answer: A running nose is discarded by the poor but kept by the rich.

Question: What is something that girls will not give without payment?
Answer: The groom's shoes on the wedding day.

Question: What is petrol called in Hindi?
Answer: It is called 'Shilatol' in Hindi.

Question: Which planet has the most moons?
Answer: Jupiter has the most moons in the solar system, with 63 moons discovered as of 2009.

Question: Who invented the helicopter?
Answer: Igor Sikorsky and Paul Cornu are credited with the invention of the helicopter.

Question: What is the full name of The Great Khali?
Answer: The Great Khali's full name is Dalip Singh Rana, born on August 27, 1972, in Dhiraina, Himachal Pradesh.

Question: When was the Param Vir Chakra established?
Answer: The Param Vir Chakra was established on January 26, 1950, when India became a republic.

Question: What is something that has no shadow?
Answer: A road has no shadow.

Question: During an IAS interview, the interviewer asked the candidate to bring a cup of coffee and placed it in front of him, asking, 'What is before YOU?'
Answer: The candidate answered 'TEA', as the question was about the letter 'U' (alphabet) and what comes before it, which is 'T' (alphabet).

Question: A woman has 9 children, half of whom are boys. How is this possible?
Answer: There is 1 woman and 9 children, totaling 10 people, with 5 boys and 5 girls.

Question: What is a room that has no windows or doors?
Answer: The answer is 'mushroom'.

Question: What animal sleeps once and never wakes up?
Answer: An ant is an animal that sleeps once and does not wake up again.

Question: If you are the DM and hear that two trains have collided, what will you do?
Answer: First, I would find out which train collided, whether it was a freight train or a passenger train, before taking action.

Question: What creature gives both milk and eggs?
Answer: The platypus is a creature that gives both milk and eggs.

Question: What is something that is needed more in winter but is more available in summer?
Answer: Sunlight is needed more in winter but is more abundant in summer.

Question: What is something that writes but is not a pen, moves but has no legs, and ticks but is not a clock?
Answer: A typewriter.

Question: Which country has the most post offices in the world?
Answer: India has the most post offices in the world.

Question: Which part of the body does not grow from childhood to old age?
Answer: The eye does not grow throughout a person's life.

Question: What is something that dies as soon as it drinks water?
Answer: Thirst dies as soon as it drinks water.

Question: What is something that women show and men hide?
Answer: The answer is 'purse'; women carry their purses openly while men tend to hide theirs.

Question: What is a creature that gives both milk and eggs?
Answer: The platypus is a creature that gives both milk and eggs.

Question: Who is the first Indian woman to win the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in wrestling?
Answer: Sakshi Malik.

Question: Where does the most lightning strike in the world?
Answer: The Congo in Africa experiences the most lightning due to constant cloud cover and heavy storms.

Question: How much blood is present in a newborn's body?
Answer: A newborn has approximately 270 ML of blood.

Question: Who invented lipstick first?
Answer: The first solid lipstick was invented by the Arab scientist Abul Qasim in the 9th century.

Question: Which part of the human body changes every two months?
Answer: Eyebrows change every two months.

Question: Which animal resembles a slipper?
Answer: Paramecium resembles a slipper.

Question: What acid accumulates in muscles causing fatigue?
Answer: Lactic acid accumulates in muscles causing fatigue.

Question: Why do railway tracks not rust?
Answer: Due to constant friction.