GS 1 Sample Questions

Following are 65 questions on GS Paper 1 MAINS syllabus.

General Studies Paper I

1.      “Folk art and folk painting have remained woefully unexplored in the Indian context and their impact on tourism has hardly been measured.” Examine.

2.      Literature of Indians writing in English have had a boom in the last two decades. What could be the possible reasons?

3.      Try to extract an order out of the apparent chaos in the 18^th century sub-continent.

4.      Can it be said that Indian independence was chiefly due to the contribution of the Gandhian strand of national movement? Critically opine.

5.      How did India manage the issue of linguistic minorities immediately after independence?

6.      Did the Industrial revolution in any way influence the ideology of Communism and impact the two world wars? Explain.

7.      Can it be said that decolonisation would never have taken place if Cold War did not exist?

8.      Suggest innovative methods to control population growth in India.

9.       Does India face a threat of regionalism? Suggest ways and means to control societal fissures based on communal disharmony.

10. Throw light on the geology of the Ural mountains.

11. Is the western-styled city culture coupled with globalisation the cause of decay of Indian culture in our cities?

12. The Himalayas are also believed to play an important part in the formation of Central Asian deserts, such as the Taklamakan and Gobi. Discuss.

13.  Using a schematic map, discuss the distribution of key natural resources across South Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

14. The Barren Island volcano, India’s only active volcano, began to spew lava in late 2018. Geologists observe this eruption could be linked to a recent earthquake in Indonesia. Critically evaluate,

15. How flora and fauna of the Arctic region has been affected by global warming?

16. Should India have multiple time-zones? Examine

17. Using a schematic map, deliberate on the issue of dust storms in India.

18. Can it be said that the historical narrative of India’s national movement has a gendered approach? Give details.

19. What has been the contribution of Indian culture in shaping the minds of Indians in a free country?

20. Correlate the change in pattern of the monsoon in India with that of India’s evolving socio-economic history post-2000. 

21.     Discuss the factors responsible for the changing structure of Indian family in the 21^st century.

22.     What are ‘ghotuls’? Is there any exploitation of women in tribal society?   

23.     Is prostitution a natural corollary of urbanisation ? Critically analyse.

24.     “Safe Cities, Smart Cities and the like are neo-concepts which at the end of the day would fade away, only to leave the remnants of properly governed cities.” Do you agree?

25.     Has higher education and health facilities in India been a failure? Comment

26.     ‘Marital Rape’ has turned out to be a contentious issue of late. Opine on the pros and cons of enacting a law to term it as an offence punishable under the Indian Penal Code.

27.     Present a brief on the concept of ‘Caste’ among Muslims and Christians in India

28.     Discuss some important poverty alleviation programmes in India undertaken by the government in the last financial year. How can those be improved further?

29.      “In the courts of Babur and Humayun, the Timurid style of Persian painting continued. Akbar, however, started a new style.” Explain with illustrations.

30.   Evaluate the contributions of Raja Man Singh of Gwalior and Amir Khusraw as far as Indian Music is concerned.

31.   Could the megaliths of South India be considered an engineering feat or cultural epitaphs?

32.   How did the Temple Women in Chola inscriptions differ from the Devadasis?  Write a short note on ‘architecture at Aihole’.

33.   Is it true that in the early 20^th century, the Bengal school of painting acted as an avante-garde?

34.   In what manner are the Stupas found in Andhra Pradesh region different from that in North India?

35.   Bring out the features of architectural styles implemented by the Britishers in India.

36.   Elucidate the common origin of Crater Lake in Oregon and Lake Toba in Sumatra. 

37.   What are ‘de-notified’ tribes? Write a note on Jarawas and Sentenelese. 

38.   What is/are the reason(s) for sheep rearing being the chief occupation of New Zealand? 

39.   Why is Savanna termed as the ‘big game country’?  What is an Ox-Bow Lake?

40.  Why do rivers meander?  Compare ‘El Nino’ with ‘La Nina’ 

41.   “A Savanna landscape cannot just be called tropical grassland”. Opine      

42.  Do Aravallis act as a divide between Mewar and Marwar? Discuss.

43. “Ice caps have significant effects on the geomorphology of the area they occupy”. Explain.  

44. What do you know about the “Maghreb”? Can East Africa split from the African mainland?

45. Why is Kutch an earthquake-prone region? Explain.

 

46.       Discuss the contribution of the Azad Hind Fauj to the cause of India’s independence.

47.       Assess the education system during the British colonial period of India.

48.       Map the Indian national movement from the perspective of the contribution of non-Gandhian leadership.

49.       Account for the commercialisation of agriculture during the British rule.

50.       “The common folk participated truly and spontaneously in the revolt of 1857.” Critically analyse.

51.       “The history of India's fight for Independence has somehow undermined the sacrifice made by the women of India.” Do you agree?

52.       Gandhian thoughts, no doubt still hold relevance in the 21^st century India.  Do you agree with this assessment?

53.       Somehow, the contributions of Lala Lajpat Rai, V D Savarkar & Dr Shyamaprasad Mookerjea to India’s freedom struggle have been suppressed in historical narrative – by terming them as Right-wingers. Tender your opinion.

54.       Surendranatha Banerjea should be credited with the formation of the Congress. Is it correct?

55.    The principles and the ethics which the leaders of the Indian national movement espoused are terribly missing in today’s political ambience. Examine.

56.    How did the Indian government negotiate tribal-based insurgencies post-independence? Discuss.

57.    “Equitable land distribution failed in post-1947 India, even though Zamindari system was abolished.” Critically examine.

58.    Evaluate the contribution of Sardar Patel in India’s territorial unification.

59.    How did Lenin and Mao tweak the concept of Marxism to suit their indigenous demands?   

60.    The Third World and Cold War : bring out the relationship. 

61.    Name two statesmen/politicians/bureaucrats who contributed to the shaping of the modern world in the 19^th and 20^th centuries. Assess their contribution.

62.    Could the first World War been avoided? Why is it called a total war?

63.    How did the rise of Japan in the late 19^th & early 20^th century affect developments in India? Discuss.

64.    In the current scenario, what do you suggest for India to become a superpower?

65.    Discuss the impact of American Revolution on the world.