Chat with us
Optional

UPSC Political Science & IR — Previous Year Questions

Every question from Political Science & IR papers in UPSC Civil Services Mains (2021–2026), organised by year. 96 questions in total, each with directive-word analysis, model answer points, and a full evaluation rubric.

96Questions
6Years covered

2026 Mains

16 questions · 800 marks

View all →
Paper I 8 Qs · 400 marksPaper II 8 Qs · 400 marks
All 16 questions from 2026

Paper I

  1. Q1 (a) Resurgence of political theory (10 marks) (b) Post-colonial theory of State (10 marks) (c) The freedom of the pike… 50 marks
  2. Q2 (a) “Rights of the man are separate and independent of the State.” Critically analyze the perspective of Laski. (20… 50 marks
  3. Q3 (a) Mill’s work was crucial to the development of liberalism, because it straddled the divide between classical and… 50 marks
  4. Q4 (a) “Representative democracy is not an absolute principle, rather a question of time, place and circumstances.”… 50 marks
  5. Q5 (a) How did Swadeshi grow into a demand for Swaraj? (10 marks) (b) The Constitution of India was secular even before… 50 marks
  6. Q6 (a) From passive resistors to armed revolutionaries, the Indian Freedom Struggle has a strong imprint of women freedom… 50 marks
  7. Q7 (a) Elucidate the prominent trends in voting behaviour in contemporary India, and discuss how astroturfing affects the… 50 marks
  8. Q8 (a) Discuss the causes and consequences of inter-State water disputes in India. (20 marks) (b) Critically comment on… 50 marks

Paper II

  1. Q1 (a) Criticism of the institutional approach in comparative political analysis has come up in successive waves. Comment… 50 marks
  2. Q2 (a) Discuss the factors responsible for the changing nature of states in contemporary industrial societies and explain… 50 marks
  3. Q3 (a) NATO, the oldest surviving collective security system, is facing challenge of transactional coercion from its own… 50 marks
  4. Q4 (a) QUAD requires more robust architecture than the summit driven mode to tide over the current challenges. Elaborate… 50 marks
  5. Q5 (a) Describe India's objections to agricultural negotiations at the World Trade Organisation. (10 marks) (b) What… 50 marks
  6. Q6 (a) Accelerating of Chinese influence across South Asia is fundamentally reshaping the region's geopolitical landscape… 50 marks
  7. Q7 (a) How does illegal cross border migration pose challenges to India's security? Discuss the steps taken by the… 50 marks
  8. Q8 (a) Critically evaluate India-Russia relations in the 21st century. How have both the countries responded to America… 50 marks

2025 Mains

16 questions · 800 marks

View all →
Paper I 8 Qs · 400 marksPaper II 8 Qs · 400 marks
All 16 questions from 2025

Paper I

  1. Q1 (a) Explain the Philosophical approach to the study of Political theory. (10 marks) (b) Write a note on the relation… 50 marks
  2. Q2 (a) What is the Marxist and liberal approach towards the state ? On what grounds the theoretical differences between… 50 marks
  3. Q3 (a) Provide a comparative analysis of behavioural and institutional approach to the study of political theory. (20… 50 marks
  4. Q4 (a) The foundational base of western democracy has been shaped by Locke's ideas of constitutionalism, freedom and… 50 marks
  5. Q5 (a) Explain briefly the role of Peasant Movements after 1857 and before independence. (10 marks) (b) Write a note on… 50 marks
  6. Q6 (a) Parliamentary committees are indispensable to the legislative process. It provides for the opportunity for… 50 marks
  7. Q7 (a) Enunciate the impediments to women's participation in local governance in the process of political… 50 marks
  8. Q8 (a) The decision to conduct Population Census-2027 has reopened the debate on delimitation in India. Discuss its… 50 marks

Paper II

  1. Q1 (a) Discuss the psychological approach to the study of comparative politics. (10 marks) (b) Neo-liberalism lightened… 50 marks
  2. Q2 (a) The world currently has been in the throes of a twin process of 'democratic backsliding' and 'democratic backlash'… 50 marks
  3. Q3 (a) Of late, centrist and centre-left political parties have been facing setbacks while centre-right parties have been… 50 marks
  4. Q4 (a) Latin America has made moderate success in countering US-led global economic order by forming various organizations… 50 marks
  5. Q5 (a) China's growing footprint and a tangible shift in power dynamics in Bangladesh has weakened India's leverage in… 50 marks
  6. Q6 (a) Critically analyze the different phases of India's foreign policy since independence. How justified, do you think… 50 marks
  7. Q7 (a) India continues to invoke its time-tested policy of strategic autonomy vis-à-vis both the United States of America… 50 marks
  8. Q8 (a) India's reluctance to perceive any 'existential threat' inevitably made the multilateral path to nuclear security a… 50 marks

2024 Mains

16 questions · 800 marks

View all →
Paper I 8 Qs · 400 marksPaper II 8 Qs · 400 marks
All 16 questions from 2024

Paper I

  1. Q1 (a) Behavioural approach to Political Science (b) Pluralist theory of State (c) Locke's views on Revolution (d) Decline… 50 marks
  2. Q2 (a) Elucidate the meanings inherent in the term 'political' with appropriate illustrations. 20 (b) Marxism is a… 50 marks
  3. Q3 (a) The debate on human rights is caught between the limitations of both universalism and cultural relativism. Comment… 50 marks
  4. Q4 (a) Legitimacy adds positive value to political authority and obligation. Discuss. 20 (b) Critically examine Plato's… 50 marks
  5. Q5 (a) Constitutional morality in the Indian Constitution (b) Objective Resolution of the Constituent Assembly (c) Legal… 50 marks
  6. Q6 (a) How far do you agree that the Directive Principles of State Policy are more fundamental than the Fundamental Rights… 50 marks
  7. Q7 (a) Discuss the contribution of the Dalit struggle to establish egalitarianism in Indian society during freedom… 50 marks
  8. Q8 (a) Discuss the role of environmental movements in shaping the environmental governance in India. 20 (b) "Relative… 50 marks

Paper II

  1. Q1 (a) Discuss the interpretive approach to the study of comparative politics. (10 marks) (b) Explain the central tenets… 50 marks
  2. Q2 (a) "Deglobalisation is displacing globalisation." Comment. (20 marks) (b) What are the distinctive features of the… 50 marks
  3. Q3 (a) Discuss the major recent social movements related to the physical rights of women in various countries of the… 50 marks
  4. Q4 (a) "The Gramscian theory of hegemony provides many valuable insights into the nature of global power." Comment. (20… 50 marks
  5. Q5 (a) "India must strive to become a semi-permanent member of the UNSC, rather than a permanent member without the right… 50 marks
  6. Q6 (a) Would you concur with the view that of late, India's foreign policy has been in a transition mode from Nehruvianism… 50 marks
  7. Q7 (a) Discuss the future of SAARC in the light of India's increased focus on other regional groupings like ASEAN and… 50 marks
  8. Q8 (a) Critically examine the continuity and change in India's Palestine policy in the wake of the ongoing Israel-Hamas… 50 marks

2023 Mains

16 questions · 800 marks

View all →
Paper I 8 Qs · 400 marksPaper II 8 Qs · 400 marks
All 16 questions from 2023

Paper I

  1. Q1 (a) Normative approach in Political Science (10 marks) (b) Multicultural perspective on rights (10 marks) (c) State of… 50 marks
  2. Q2 (a) Success of contemporary democracies lies in the State limiting its own power. Explain. (20 marks) (b) Rawls' idea… 50 marks
  3. Q3 (a) Fascism displays an ambivalent stance towards parliamentary democracy. Explain. (20 marks) (b) Affirmative Action… 50 marks
  4. Q4 (a) Buddhist thought on Dhamma facilitates the emancipation of political action. Explain. (20 marks) (b) "The legal… 50 marks
  5. Q5 (a) Imprint of the British Constitution on the Indian Constitution (10 marks) (b) Environmentalism of the poor (10… 50 marks
  6. Q6 (a) Discuss the major provisions of the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act. Do you think that the Act remains an… 50 marks
  7. Q7 (a) Does the actual working of Indian federalism conform to the centralizing tendencies in Indian polity? Give reasons… 50 marks
  8. Q8 (a) The rise of caste politics is to be attributed to both regional aspirations and electoral manifestations. Comment… 50 marks

Paper II

  1. Q1 (a) What are the crucial functions of empirical political theory in Comparative Politics ? 10 (b) What are the… 50 marks
  2. Q2 (a) Discuss the relevance of the normative ethos of the Non-Aligned Movement in magnifying India's soft power in… 50 marks
  3. Q3 (a) "During the Cold War, the Non-Aligned Movement tried to become a 'Third force' in World Politics, but failed… 50 marks
  4. Q4 (a) Critically examine the impact of Globalisation on the developing countries of the world. 20 (b) What do you mean by… 50 marks
  5. Q5 (a) Explain the major features of India's Foreign Policy in the 21st century. 10 (b) What are the reasons for lack of… 50 marks
  6. Q6 (a) Arms trade, economic ties and congruent geo-political interests are no longer the three pillars of India – Russia… 50 marks
  7. Q7 (a) "India's Nuclear policy is deeply influenced by its cultural beliefs and the pragmatic approach of its foreign… 50 marks
  8. Q8 (a) What are the external determinants of the Foreign Policy of a State ? 20 (b) Discuss the significance of "West Asia… 50 marks

2022 Mains

16 questions · 800 marks

View all →
Paper I 8 Qs · 400 marksPaper II 8 Qs · 400 marks
All 16 questions from 2022

Paper I

  1. Q1 (a) Systems Approach (10 marks) (b) Cultural Relativism (10 marks) (c) "Revolution in Permanence" (10 marks) (d) Bases… 50 marks
  2. Q2 (a) Factors like community, culture and nation weaken the hegemony of neo-liberalism today. Discuss. (20 marks) (b)… 50 marks
  3. Q3 (a) Examine the liberal theory of State in contemporary politics. (20 marks) (b) Human Rights are complex and contested… 50 marks
  4. Q4 (a) Dr. Ambedkar's idea of social justice leads to 'egalitarian justice' as compared to Rawls' 'justice as fairness'… 50 marks
  5. Q5 (a) Analyse the workers' movement in India in the pre-Independence period. (10 marks) (b) The Preamble of the Indian… 50 marks
  6. Q6 (a) Electoral behaviour of voters is governed more by the social and economic factors than the political factors… 50 marks
  7. Q7 (a) Examine the unique features of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment. Do you think this Amendment would contribute in… 50 marks
  8. Q8 (a) Ethnicity is the underlying cause which poses a great challenge in the resolution of the problems in the North-East… 50 marks

Paper II

  1. Q1 (a) Discuss the main limitations of the comparative method to the study of Political Science. (10 marks) (b) What are… 50 marks
  2. Q2 (a) How has the electoral democracy augmented the participation of people in the democratic process? (20 marks) (b)… 50 marks
  3. Q3 (a) Critically examine the rise of People's Republic of China (PRC) as a great power and its implications on Asian… 50 marks
  4. Q4 (a) Identify and evaluate the reasons for deadlock in the WTO negotiations on fisheries between the developing and… 50 marks
  5. Q5 (a) Peaceful co-existence remains the cornerstone of India's foreign policy. Comment. (10 marks) (b) Discuss the ways… 50 marks
  6. Q6 (a) Discuss the relevance of the demand for New International Economic Order (NIEO) in the present era of… 50 marks
  7. Q7 (a) What are the main drivers of India-Japan Strategic and Global Partnership? (20 marks) (b) What are the implications… 50 marks
  8. Q8 (a) How does India-Israel bilateral ties reflect the autonomy of India's foreign policy choices? (20 marks) (b) Discuss… 50 marks

2021 Mains

16 questions · 800 marks

View all →
Paper I 8 Qs · 400 marksPaper II 8 Qs · 400 marks
All 16 questions from 2021

Paper I

  1. Q1 (a) Feminist critique of the State (b) Affirmative action (c) Equality of outcome as a political idea (d) Tools of… 50 marks
  2. Q2 (a) How has Rawls enriched the idea of justice in liberalism? 20 (b) Examine the importance of behavioural approach in… 50 marks
  3. Q3 (a) Explain the Aristotelian view of politics. To what extent do you think it has contributed to the development of… 50 marks
  4. Q4 (a) Do you think that the Buddhist traditions have lent greater ethical foundation to the ancient Indian political… 50 marks
  5. Q5 (a) "The Constitution of India is a product of a historical process, rich with constitutional antecedents." Comment… 50 marks
  6. Q6 (a) "Constitutionally reconciling the Fundamental Rights with the Directive Principles of State Policy has led to… 50 marks
  7. Q7 (a) "The Indian party system is shaped by a complex interaction of the country's federal structure, electoral system… 50 marks
  8. Q8 (a) "The success of electoral democracy can partly be attributed to the status and role of the Election Commission of… 50 marks

Paper II

  1. Q1 (a) Discuss the political economy approach to the comparative analysis of politics. (10 marks) (b) "Political parties… 50 marks
  2. Q2 (a) "The post-colonial state was thought of an entity that stood outside and above society as an autonomous agency."… 50 marks
  3. Q3 (a) Explain the impact of electoral systems and cleavages in shaping party systems with reference to developing… 50 marks
  4. Q4 (a) The modernization thesis asserts that affluence breeds stable democracy. How do you explain the success of India… 50 marks
  5. Q5 (a) Discuss the strategic implications of India's 'Look East Policy' transforming into 'Act East Policy'. (10 marks)… 50 marks
  6. Q6 (a) "Non-alignment was little more than a rational strategy on the part of a materially weak India to maximise its… 50 marks
  7. Q7 (a) Why South Asia is considered as the world's politically and economically least integrated region? Explain. (20… 50 marks
  8. Q8 (a) 'Relations between India and Russia are rooted in history, mutual trust and mutually beneficial cooperation.'… 50 marks

How Political Science & IR answers are marked

The shape the examiner expects, what earns the marks and the traps that lose them: the same card our rubrics for this subject are written from.

Answer skeleton

  1. Concept
  2. Theory and theorist
  3. Application
  4. Critique

What earns the marks

  • Abstract theory is the core; engage it directly
  • Paper II: tie theory to current foreign policy
  • Present contending positions before your judgment
  • Separate normative claims from empirical ones

What earns the extra mark

  • Recent bilateral or multilateral development
  • A named theorist

Traps that cost marks

  • Current-affairs commentary without theory
  • Single-school answers
The full answer-writing guide →

Want to practise Political Science & IR answer writing?

Pick any question above, write your answer, and have it marked point by point against that question's rubric and model answer.

Start free evaluation →

Write this answer and get it marked in about 20 seconds

Free account: 5 AI evaluations a month, marked against the rubric above.

Start free

Already have an account? Log in