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General Studies 2026 GS Paper I 10 marks 150 words Compulsory Elucidate

GS Paper I — Q3

The significance of the Gandhian movements lay in the masses they mobilized. Elucidate. (Answer in 150 words) 10

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

गाँधीवादी आंदोलनों का महत्त्व उनके द्वारा संगठित जनसमूहों में निहित था। स्पष्ट कीजिए। (उत्तर 150 शब्दों में दीजिए)

Q3 of the 2026 UPSC Mains General Studies GS Paper I, as printed
The question as printed in the 2026 General Studies paper
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Model answer

Written by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 150-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key.

Gandhian movements marked a paradigm shift from the Moderate era’s elite petition politics to inclusive mass action, integrating peasants, workers, and women into the anti-colonial struggle.

Phases of Mass Mobilization The Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–22) mobilized students, lawyers, and rural masses through boycotts of schools, courts, and foreign cloth in favour of khadi, ending abruptly post-Chauri Chaura. The Civil Disobedience Movement (1930), inaugurated by the Dandi Salt March breaking the salt law, secured unprecedented participation from peasants, merchants, and women under leaders like Sarojini Naidu. In 1942, the Quit India Movement translated Gandhi’s "Do or Die" call into a spontaneous, decentralized mass upsurge across India.

Mechanisms and Impact Gandhi mobilized the illiterate masses through vernacular idioms, cultural symbolism, and the constructive programme—championing khadi, Harijan uplift, and Hindu-Muslim unity. This transformed the Indian National Congress from an urban elite body into a pan-Indian mass party representing peasants, tribals, women, and workers.

What "Elucidate" is asking you to do

Make a stated proposition plain and then prove it with instances. Elucidate stems almost always carry a claim or a named concept, and very often the words “with examples” or “with suitable diagrams” — the illustration is part of the directive, not decoration.

Structure that answers it

Plain-language statement of what the proposition means → the part that is obscure, resolved → first illustration → second illustration → why the proposition holds

Where marks are lost

Adding terminology; elucidate rewards removing it. The commoner loss is a clean explanation with no example, when the stem asked for examples.

All UPSC directive words, compared →

How this answer will be evaluated

Approach

Framework: GS1 History: Movements (causes, social base, methods, limits, legacy). explain: definition/context > points in order > small example > short close Full marks: Analyzes the social base and methods of mobilization with specific examples.

Key points expected

  • Identify specific mass-based movements (e.g., Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience)
  • Explain the social base (peasants, workers, women, students)
  • Analyze the methods used to mobilize (Satyagraha, Swadeshi, constructive programme)
  • Link mobilization to the political significance of the movements

Evaluation rubric

Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.

  1. The answer Explain how the mobilization of the masses was the defining feature of Gandhian movements. 10 marks · 150 words

    explain— definition/context → points in order → small example → short close

    Must cover

    • Identify specific mass-based movements (e.g., Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience)
    • Explain the social base (peasants, workers, women, students)
    • Analyze the methods used to mobilize (Satyagraha, Swadeshi, constructive programme)
    • Link mobilization to the political significance of the movements

    Loses marks

    • Narrating chronology without analysis
    • Focusing only on Gandhi's personality
    • Ignoring the role of the masses

    Earns more

    • Mention specific events like Dandi March or Chauri Chaura
    • Reference the role of the Indian National Congress
    • Discuss the impact on British colonial rule
    • Mention the role of the press in mobilization

    Extra mark

    • Cite a specific statistic on participation
    • Mention a specific Gandhian text or speech

Practice this exact question

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