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UPSC Mains PYQs

1053 questions

Every General Studies question since 2013, ready to attempt. Model answers arrive week by week.

2016

  1. 2016 · GS1 · 12.5 marksThe anti-colonial struggles in West Africa were led by the new elite of Western-educated Africans. Examine.
  2. 2016 · GS1 · 12.5 marksWhat is the basis of regionalism? Is it that unequal distribution of benefits of development on a regional basis eventually promotes regionalism? Substantiate your answer.
  3. 2016 · GS1 · 12.5 marksWith a brief background of the quality of urban life in India, introduce the objectives and strategy of the ‘Smart City Programme.’
  4. 2016 · GS1 · 12.5 marksDiscuss the concept of air mass and explain its role in macro-climatic changes.
  5. 2016 · GS1 · 12.5 marksEarly Buddhist Stupa-art, while depicting folk motifs and narratives, successfully expounds Buddhist ideals. Elucidate.
  6. 2016 · GS1 · 12.5 marksThe effective management of land and water resources will drastically reduce the human miseries. Explain.
  7. 2016 · GS1 · 12.5 marksEnumerate the problems and prospects of inland water transport in India
  8. 2016 · GS1 · 12.5 marks“An essential condition to eradicate poverty is to liberate the poor from the process of deprivation.” Substantiate this statement with suitable examples.
  9. 2016 · GS1 · 12.5 marksTo what extent globalisation has influenced the core of cultural diversity in India? Explain.
  10. 2016 · GS1 · 12.5 marksHas the formation of linguistic states strengthened the cause of Indian unity?
  11. 2016 · GS1 · 12.5 marksHighlight the differences in the approach of Subhash Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi in the struggle for freedom.
  12. 2016 · GS1 · 12.5 marks“The Himalayas are highly prone to landslides.” Discuss the causes and suggest suitable measures of mitigation.
  13. 2016 · GS1 · 12.5 marksKrishnadeva Raya, the king of Vijayanagar, was not only an accomplished scholar himself but was also a great patron of learning and literature. Discuss.
  14. 2016 · GS1 · 12.5 marksMajor cities of India are becoming vulnerable to flood conditions. Discuss.
  15. 2016 · GS1 · 12.5 marksPresent an account of the Indus Water Treaty and examine its ecological, economic and political implications in the context of changing bilateral relations.
  16. 2016 · GS1 · 12.5 marksDiscuss the role of women in the freedom struggle especially during the Gandhian phase.
  17. 2016 · GS1 · 12.5 marksThe South China Sea has assumed great geopolitical significance in the present context. Comment.
  18. 2016 · GS1 · 12.5 marksWhy are the tribals in India referred to as ‘the Scheduled Tribes’? Indicate the major provisions enshrined in the Constitution of India for their upliftment.
  19. 2016 · GS1 · 12.5 marksExplain how the uprising of 1857 constitutes an important watershed in the evolution of British policies towards colonial India.
  20. 2016 · GS1 · 12.5 marksIn what way micro-watershed development projects help in water conservation in drought-prone and semi-arid regions of India?

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