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Topic Adsorption
Asked 3 times across 2 UPSC exams over 36 years (1990–2026), peaking in 2025.
Key insights
- Most tested in CSE — 2 of 3 PYQs
- Most asked in 2025
- Recurs across 3 years (1990–2026)
How it travelled across exams
First appearance in each exam — the same idea, reframed.
CSE 1990 → GEO 2026
How the concept evolved
Rising — more than half its appearances (2 of 3) are since 2016.
Related concepts
Ideas UPSC tests alongside this one — keep exploring.
Sample questions
You've seen the pattern — here are a few of the actual PYQs.
GEO2026
The adsorbent used in chromatographic techniques is
- A mica
- B silica gel
- C clay
- D glass wool
Answer key not yet available (pending official release)
Science & Technology › Physics & Chemistry
CSE2025
Consider the following statements
Statement IActivated carbon is a good and an attractive tool to remove pollutants from effluent streams and to remediate contaminants from various industries
Statement IIActivated carbon exhibits a large surface area and a strong potential for adsorbing heavy metals
Statement IIIActivated carbon can be easily synthesized from environmental wastes with high carbon content
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
- A Both Statement II and Statement III are correct and both of them explain Statement I ✓
- B Both Statement II and Statement III are correct but only one of them explains Statement I
- C Only one of the Statements II and III is correct and that explains Statement I
- D Neither Statement II nor Statement III is correct
✓ Correct answer: (A)
Science & Technology › Physics & Chemistry
CSE1990
Assertion (A)Activated charcoal is used for decolourising sugar solution
Reason (R)Activated charcoal absorbs the impurities on its surface
- A Both A and Rare true and R is the correct explanation of A ✓
- B Both A and R are true but R is not a correct explanation of A
- C A is true but R is false
- D A is false but R is true
✓ Correct answer: (A)
Science & Technology › Physics & Chemistry
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