Bihar Special: Polity, Administration & Geography
67 questions · Bihar special · BPSC prelims pattern
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Questions 7, 11, 18, 28, 30, 39, 47 and 56 carry a note where a figure has changed since the question was set, the key looks wrong, or a statement is arguable.
Polity & Administration33 questions
1. By which Act did Bihar become a separate province?
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Answer: (A) The Government of India Act, 1935
Orissa was separated from Bihar under the Government of India Act, 1935, with effect from 1 April 1936, and Bihar became a province on its own. It had been carved out of Bengal in 1912, but as the joint province of Bihar and Orissa.
2. Who was a member of the Constituent Assembly of India from Bihar?
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Answer: (E) None of the above / More than one of the above
Anugrah Narayan Sinha, Rajendra Prasad and Jagjivan Ram all represented Bihar in the Constituent Assembly, so the answer is “more than one”. Rajendra Prasad presided over it.
3. Under whose leadership did the first Indian ministry in Bihar come into existence in 1937?
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Answer: (B) Md. Yunus
Mohammad Yunus formed Bihar’s first Indian ministry in April 1937, an interim government set up while the Congress held back from office. Shri Krishna Sinha’s Congress ministry replaced it that July.
4. How many members are elected from Bihar to the Lok Sabha?
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Answer: (D) 40
Bihar elects 40 members to the Lok Sabha.
5. When was the Patna High Court established?
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Answer: (A) 1916
The Patna High Court was established in 1916, four years after Bihar and Orissa became a separate province.
6. Under the provisions of the Regulating Act, a provincial council was formed in Bihar in:
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Answer: (B) 1774
Warren Hastings set up provincial councils for revenue administration in 1774, and Patna was one of them.
7. Who will preside over the proposed women’s commission in Bihar?
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Answer: (B) Chief Minister of Bihar
The key names the Chief Minister, reflecting how the commission was proposed at the time the question was set.
Check this one. As actually constituted, the Bihar State Commission for Women is headed by its own chairperson nominated by the state government, not by the Chief Minister. Treat this as a question about an old proposal.
8. At the end of 1995, the number of districts in Bihar was:
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Answer: (A) 55
Undivided Bihar had 55 districts by the mid-1990s. Eighteen went to Jharkhand in 2000, leaving 37 (question 13).
9. Who was the first Indian Governor of Bihar?
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Answer: (A) Satyendra Prasanna Sinha
Satyendra Prasanna Sinha, Lord Sinha, became Governor of Bihar and Orissa in 1920, the first Indian to govern any province of British India.
10. Politics shaped by caste-based private armies, or “senas”, is associated with which state?
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Answer: (A) Bihar
Caste-based private armies such as the Ranvir Sena became a feature of rural Bihar’s conflicts in the 1990s.
11. The number of wards in the Patna Municipal Corporation is:
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Answer: (A) 57
The key gives 57.
Check this one. That was the ward count when this question was set. The Patna Municipal Corporation now has 75 wards, so check the current figure before memorising it.
12. Which new state was formed out of Bihar?
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Answer: (C) Jharkhand
Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar on 15 November 2000.
13. After the formation of Jharkhand, how many districts were left in Bihar?
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Answer: (A) 37
Bihar was left with 37 districts. Arwal was created in 2001, bringing the total to 38 (question 33).
14. Which city of Bihar became the capital of Jharkhand?
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Answer: (C) Ranchi
Ranchi, once Bihar’s summer capital, became the capital of Jharkhand.
15. The first President of independent India came from:
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Answer: (C) Bihar
Rajendra Prasad, India’s first President, was from Ziradei in Bihar’s Siwan district.
16. Parts of which of the following districts were transferred to West Bengal?
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Answer: (C) Purnea and Manbhum
Under the 1956 reorganisation, parts of Purnea and Manbhum districts were transferred to West Bengal; Manbhum’s share became Purulia district.
17. In which year was the first meeting of the Bihar Legislative Council convened?
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Answer: (B) 1913
The Legislative Council of the new province of Bihar and Orissa first met in January 1913.
18. Who was the Governor of Bihar from 2019 to 2023?
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Answer: (B) Fagu Chauhan
Fagu Chauhan held the office from July 2019 to February 2023.
Check this one. The original question asked who is Governor “at present”. Fagu Chauhan was succeeded by Rajendra Arlekar and then, from January 2025, by Arif Mohammed Khan, so check who holds the office on the day you publish.
19. In 1921, Lord Sinha resigned from the post of Governor of:
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Answer: (A) Bihar and Orissa
Lord Sinha resigned as Governor of Bihar and Orissa in 1921, citing ill health.
20. In which year was Bihar divided to form Jharkhand?
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Answer: (A) 2000
Jharkhand was formed on 15 November 2000 under the Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000.
21. In which year was 50 per cent reservation provided to women in panchayat bodies in Bihar?
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Answer: (B) 2006
The Bihar Panchayat Raj Act, 2006 reserved half of all panchayat seats for women, making Bihar the first state to do so.
22. What is the significance of Bihar Diwas, celebrated on 22 March every year?
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Answer: (C) It commemorates Bihar’s separation from the Bengal Presidency in 1912
Bihar Diwas marks 22 March 1912, when Bihar, together with Orissa, was separated from the Bengal Presidency.
23. Which of the following states was never granted Special Category Status by the central government?
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Answer: (A) Bihar
Bihar has long demanded special category status but has never been granted it. Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir all held it.
24. Who was the first Chief Minister of Bihar?
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Answer: (A) Shri Krishna Singh
Shri Krishna Singh, ‘Bihar Kesari’, was Bihar’s first Chief Minister and held office until his death in 1961. Mohammad Yunus led the brief interim ministry of 1937 (question 3) but was never Chief Minister.
25. How many seats are reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates in the Bihar Legislative Assembly?
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Answer: (A) 38
Of the 243 seats in the Bihar Legislative Assembly, 38 are reserved for Scheduled Castes and 2 for Scheduled Tribes.
26. The late Bihar politician Raghuvansh Prasad Singh was first elected to which Lok Sabha?
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Answer: (B) Eleventh Lok Sabha
Raghuvansh Prasad Singh first entered the Lok Sabha in 1996, the Eleventh Lok Sabha, from Vaishali, and later served as Union Minister of Rural Development.
27. The first Chief Minister of Bihar after Independence was:
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Answer: (C) Shri Krishna Sinha
Shri Krishna Sinha led the government at Independence and continued as the first Chief Minister under the Constitution.
28. How many districts of Bihar have headquarters with the same name as the district?
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Answer: (C) 29
The key gives 29.
Check this one. That count dates from when Bihar had 37 districts. Of today’s 38, thirty share their headquarters’ name (option A). The eight that do not are West and East Champaran, Saran, Vaishali, Nalanda, Bhojpur, Rohtas and Kaimur; Arwal, created in 2001, is what moved the count.
29. The Elementary Education Act implemented in Bihar and Orissa in 1919 made education compulsory for children of what age?
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Answer: (A) 6–10 years
The 1919 Act provided for compulsory primary education for children aged six to ten.
30. Which Act converted the unicameral legislature of Bihar into a bicameral one, with a Legislative Assembly and a Legislative Council?
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Answer: (A) Government of India Act, 1919
The key gives the Government of India Act, 1919.
Check this one. This key looks wrong. Under the 1919 Act, Bihar and Orissa had a single-chamber legislature; it was the Government of India Act, 1935 that gave Bihar both an Assembly and a Council, which is option (C). Question 31, which ties the Council’s first elected chairman to the 1935 Act, points the same way.
31. Under the Government of India Act, 1935, who was the first elected Chairman of the Bihar Legislative Council?
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Answer: (B) Rajiv Ranjan Sinha
Rajiv Ranjan Sinha was the first elected Chairman of the Council set up under the 1935 Act.
32. When is Bihar Diwas celebrated?
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Answer: (C) 22 March
Bihar Diwas falls on 22 March, the day in 1912 when Bihar was separated from the Bengal Presidency.
33. How many districts are there in Bihar in 2025?
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Answer: (A) 38
Bihar has 38 districts, grouped into nine administrative divisions.
Physical Geography34 questions
34. Which of the following districts of Bihar does not share a border with Nepal?
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Answer: (D) Purnia
Purnia does not touch Nepal. The seven border districts are West Champaran, East Champaran, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Supaul, Araria and Kishanganj.
35. According to Köppen’s climatic classification, the climate of North Bihar may be described as:
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Answer: (A) Cwg
Cwg is a monsoon climate with dry winters, the type found across the Ganga plain, North Bihar included.
36. Which soil is predominantly found in the districts of Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga and Champaran?
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Answer: (B) Newer alluvium
The Champaran–Tirhut plain is built of newer alluvium, or khadar, laid down by the Gandak, Burhi Gandak and Bagmati.
37. Which of the following towns lies furthest east in Bihar?
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Answer: (C) Katihar
Katihar lies furthest east of the four, just east of Purnia; Patna is furthest west.
38. Match the rock systems of Bihar with their descriptions:
a. Dharwar rock system b. Vindhyan rock system
c. Quaternary rock system d. Tertiary rock system
a. Dharwar rock system b. Vindhyan rock system
c. Quaternary rock system d. Tertiary rock system
1. Created by the rapid deposition of alluvium by Himalayan and peninsular rivers
2. Can be found in West Champaran district
3. Part of the oldest, Archaean rock system
4. Sandstone, limestone, dolomite, quartzite and shale are its main constituents
Select the correct code.
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Answer: (A) a-3, b-4, c-1, d-2
The Dharwar rocks belong to the oldest, Archaean system; the Vindhyan system is made of sandstone, limestone, dolomite, quartzite and shale; the Quaternary formations are the alluvium laid down by Himalayan and peninsular rivers; and Tertiary rocks appear in West Champaran, in the Siwalik hills.
39. The forest area in Bihar is:
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Answer: (B) 29 lakh hectares
The key gives 29 lakh hectares.
Check this one. That was the figure for undivided Bihar, before the forested Chotanagpur plateau went to Jharkhand in 2000. Present-day Bihar has only about a quarter of that, roughly 7 per cent of its area (question 62).
40. The Chotanagpur Plateau is:
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Answer: (D) A peneplain
The Chotanagpur plateau is a peneplain, an ancient surface worn almost flat by long erosion. It lay in undivided Bihar and is now in Jharkhand.
41. The Terai region of Bihar runs:
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Answer: (B) Parallel to the India–Nepal boundary
The Terai is the marshy belt at the foot of the Himalaya, running parallel to the India–Nepal border.
42. The forests of Chotanagpur are:
1. Evergreen
2. Deciduous
3. Savanna
4. Thorny
Select the correct code.
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Answer: (C) 2 and 3
The key picks deciduous and savanna. Chotanagpur’s natural cover is tropical deciduous forest, with sal the typical tree, thinning into open, savanna-like woodland where the forest has been degraded.
43. The total geographical area of Bihar is:
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Answer: (C) 94,163 sq. km
Bihar’s total area is 94,163 square kilometres.
44. The Someshwar series of Bihar is:
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Answer: (D) Newer than all of these
The Someshwar range in West Champaran belongs to the Siwaliks, formed in the Tertiary period, which makes it younger than the Parasnath, Rajmahal and Kharagpur hills.
45. In Bihar, the Damodar river flows through:
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Answer: (B) A fault trough
The Damodar flows through a fault trough, a rift valley that preserved the Gondwana coal seams of Jharia and Raniganj. The valley lay in undivided Bihar and is now in Jharkhand.
46. The number of Indian states whose boundaries touch Bihar is:
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Answer: (A) 3
Three Indian states border Bihar: Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal. Nepal lies to the north as an international border.
47. Which district of Bihar is the biggest?
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Answer: (B) Gaya
Among these four options, Gaya is the largest.
Check this one. The largest district in Bihar overall is West Champaran, slightly bigger than Gaya. Answer (B) here, but do not carry “Gaya” into a question that lists West Champaran.
48. Which of the following would you not include among the physical divisions of Bihar?
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Answer: (D) East Ganga Plain
Bihar’s physical divisions are the Himalayan foothills in the north-west, the North and South Ganga plains, and the southern plateau, historically the Chotanagpur plateau. There is no ‘East Ganga Plain’.
49. What is Bihar’s rank in India by geographical area?
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Answer: (C) 12th / 13th
Bihar ranks twelfth among today’s states by area. Older counts that included the former state of Jammu and Kashmir put it thirteenth, hence the combined option.
50. Rivers of which of the following groups form the boundary between Bihar and Uttar Pradesh?
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Answer: (C) Karmanasa, Gandak and Ghaghara
The Karmanasa, Gandak and Ghaghara mark stretches of the Bihar–Uttar Pradesh boundary.
51. The third-largest state in India by population and the twelfth-largest by area is:
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Answer: (D) Bihar
Bihar is third among states by population in Census 2011, after Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, and twelfth by area.
52. North Bihar is famous for:
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Answer: (C) Floods
North Bihar is India’s most flood-prone region, as the Kosi, Gandak, Bagmati and other Himalayan rivers overflow each monsoon.
53. Which of the following districts does not have Dharwar geological formations?
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Answer: (B) Rohtas
Rohtas lies on the Vindhyan Kaimur plateau, so it has no Dharwar rocks. Munger, Jamui and Nawada all have Dharwar formations.
54. Among the following districts, which has the larger area under dense deciduous forest?
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Answer: (A) Paschim Champaran
Paschim Champaran, home to the Valmiki Tiger Reserve, has the largest area under dense deciduous forest in Bihar.
55. What is the percentage of all types of forest area to the total geographical area of Bihar?
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Answer: (E) None of the above / More than one of the above
The key marks (E). Bihar’s forest share is quoted differently depending on whether one counts satellite-measured forest cover or legally recorded forest area, and on the year, so more than one of these figures can be defended.
56. Which of the following statements is/are correct?
1. Most rivers of North Bihar are antecedent rivers.
2. These rivers have a high tendency towards lateral erosion.
Choose the correct option.
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Answer: (A) Only 2
The key accepts only the second statement: North Bihar’s rivers erode sideways and shift course constantly, the Kosi most famously.
Check this one. The first statement is arguable. The Kosi and Gandak, the biggest North Bihar rivers, are classic antecedent rivers, older than the Himalaya they cut through. The key presumably rejects it because many of the smaller rivers rise in the lower ranges.
57. Most of Bihar comes under which climate type?
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Answer: (A) Subtropical monsoon
Most of Bihar has a subtropical monsoon climate: hot summers, a rainy monsoon season and cool, dry winters.
58. According to the Köppen climate classification, Bihar mainly lies in which climate type?
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Answer: (B) Cwg
Under Köppen’s scheme, most of Bihar falls in Cwg, a monsoon climate with dry winters.
59. Consider the following statements:
1. Except for some hills in Champaran, the rest of the North Bihar plain is completely flat.
2. The plains of North Bihar are spread over approximately 90,000 sq. km.
3. The plains of South Bihar are spread over approximately 10,568 sq. km.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
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Answer: (B) Only 1
Only the first holds. The whole state covers just 94,163 square kilometres, so the north Bihar plain cannot cover 90,000, and the south Bihar plain is much larger than 10,568.
60. Ptilophyllum fossils were obtained from:
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Answer: (B) The Rajmahal hills
Ptilophyllum fossils, the leaves of Jurassic-age plants, come from the Rajmahal hills.
61. Which of the following districts of Bihar does not share its border with Nepal?
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Answer: (B) Purnia
Purnia does not touch Nepal; Madhubani, Araria and Sitamarhi all do.
62. What is the approximate percentage of Bihar’s geographical area under forest?
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Answer: (B) 7%
Forests cover only about 7 per cent of Bihar’s area, one of the lowest shares of any state.
63. Which of the following lies in the westernmost part of Bihar?
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Answer: (C) Kaimur
Kaimur lies furthest west, bordering Uttar Pradesh; Katihar lies furthest east.
64. Which of the following statements about floods in Bihar are correct?
1. Bihar is basically a plain area.
2. Its major rivers are long, with catchments in the mountains.
3. Bihar is economically backward.
Select the correct option.
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Answer: (C) All three are correct
All three contribute. The land is flat, the big rivers are long and fed from the Himalaya, and economic backwardness has limited embankments, drainage and other flood defences.
65. Which of the following states are almost identical in shape?
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Answer: (A) Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh
The key pairs Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, two neighbouring Himalayan states of similar size and outline.
66. What was Bihar’s position after the separation of Jharkhand? Consider the following statements:
1. Its longitudinal extent remained the same.
2. Its latitudinal extent was reduced by 20°30′.
3. It comprises 54.15% of the area of undivided Bihar.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
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Answer: (A) Only 1 and 3
The first and third hold. Jharkhand lay to the south, so Bihar’s east–west extent did not change, and the new Bihar has 54.15 per cent of the old state’s area. Its latitudinal extent shrank by a little over two degrees, not by 20°30′.
67. The average height of the Kosi plain above mean sea level is:
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Answer: (B) 30 m
The Kosi plain is among the lowest parts of Bihar, averaging about 30 metres above sea level.
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1 A · 2 E · 3 B · 4 D · 5 A · 6 B · 7 B · 8 A · 9 A · 10 A · 11 A · 12 C · 13 A · 14 C · 15 C · 16 C · 17 B · 18 B · 19 A · 20 A · 21 B · 22 C · 23 A · 24 A · 25 A · 26 B · 27 C · 28 C · 29 A · 30 A · 31 B · 32 C · 33 A · 34 D · 35 A · 36 B · 37 C · 38 A · 39 B · 40 D · 41 B · 42 C · 43 C · 44 D · 45 B · 46 A · 47 B · 48 D · 49 C · 50 C · 51 D · 52 C · 53 B · 54 A · 55 E · 56 A · 57 A · 58 B · 59 B · 60 B · 61 B · 62 B · 63 C · 64 C · 65 A · 66 A · 67 B
Scoring: +1 correct, −1/3 wrong, 0 for not attempted, −1/3 for a row left blank.