GS 2 UPSC CSE Sample Questions

There are 60 sample questions as below

                            General Studies Paper II

1.       Generally Art 32 is considered to be the soul of the Constitution. However, which other provision, according to you, could be a close runners-up to Art 32? Why?

2.       Do you think that any amendment to the Constitution is required in order to bolster the Union-State relations in India? Discuss for either case.

3.       Comment on the effectivity of dispute redressal institutions in India. Cite examples.

4.       Can China learn any inputs from the Indian constitutional provisions? Should India adopt the American model of federalism?

5.       Comment on the requirement of legislative councils in India. Should they be abolished?

6.       Elucidate the conflict resolution mechanisms between judiciary and the executive.

7.       Critically discuss the role of formal as well as informal associations in the Indian Polity.

8.       Cite any two sections of the Representation of People’s Act. Assess the importance of the two sections as well as the Act overall.

9.       Evaluate the performance of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Tribes.

10.   What is a quasi-judicial body? How does it differ from a judicial body? Posit examples in the Indian context.

11.   Evaluate the role of NGOs and SHGs in the developmental process in India in the last decade.

12.    What do you understand by vulnerable sections of the population? Of late, how has the government been successful in ameliorating their position?

13.   Do you think that poverty and hunger are still crucial issues in India? In what way?

14.   “The troika of Health, Education, and Human Resources need to be catered so as to catapult India into the league of developed nations”. Critically discuss.

15.   Digital governance is the order of the day. It paves the way for the future. How do you see India fitting into the concept 20 years down the line?

16.    Have the citizen’s charters in any way enhanced the transparency & accountability of government working? Deliberate.

17.   A leaner, specialised bureaucracy is a better option than a bulky, generalised one. Do you agree?

18.   Has Indian diplomacy managed the hostile neighbourhood well in the last decade or so? Would you suggest any better measures?

19.   How has Indian diaspora in UK, USA and the Arab countries contributed to India’s progress?

20. “India Is the Weakest Link in the QUAD”. Provide a critique. 

 

21.    Nearly 2.6 crore cases are pending in the district and subordinate courts across the country. There are huge vacancies in these courts with 5,580 or 25% of posts lying empty against the sanctioned strength of 22,454 judges. The flawed approach in recruitment process contribute to high number of vacancies. Do you agree with this thesis?

                             

22.     Parliament has power to enact any law under Article 323A while both Parliament and State Legislatures can make laws on matters of Article 323B, subject to their legislative competence. Discuss.

23.     “The Indian Constitution moderated British parliamentarianism only with reference to affirmative action for specifically identified social groups..........” Critically analyse.

24.     India’s medical device industry is estimated to be worth $5.2 billion – the fourth largest in Asia. Devices implanted into the human body, or used for life support or sustenance, may pose potential risk must be strictly controlled. Critically examine.

25.     “Federalism is typically done for a dual purpose – that of limiting the possibility of a tyranny of the majority, and of generating strength through the Union.” Explain.

26.     The Model Code of Conduct is a set of guidelines issued by the election commission that political parties have to follow while campaigning during elections. Earlier Election Commission held tight reins on election-time propaganda. But today, the effective implementation of Model Code of Conduct is facing challenges in today’s digital era and explosion of various type of multimedia. Discuss.

27.     “The Supreme Court has passed far-reaching orders in hundreds of environmental cases, through which it is believed to have fostered an extensive and innovative jurisprudence on environmental rights.” Do you agree?

28.      Assess the role and performance of the Election Commission in post-independent India.

29.     “Prima facie, ‘equality before law’ and ‘equal protection of laws’ may seem to be identical, but in fact, they are not.” Examine.

30.   Write a note on the composition and the functions of the National Judicial Appointment Commission.

31.   “Renunciation, Termination, Deprivation are the three methods of loss of Indian Citizenship” Comment

32.   What is/are the effect(s) of Proclamation of National Emergency on the Fundamental Rights?

33.   Is India facing a crisis of secularism? Defend your position with illustrations.

34.   Has the Basic Structure Doctrine outlived its purpose? Opine.

35.   Distinguish between Strict Liability and Absolute Liability. Explain the rationale behind the 50 % ceiling on the reservations formulated by the Apex Court.  

36.   State the main features of Pressure Groups in India, with instances.

37.   Identify major areas of tension in Union-State relations in India. Highlight the demand for state autonomy in this backdrop

38.   Explain the salient features of the Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection, and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018. Has India done enough in this context?

39.   It’s been years since it was first presented in Parliament, the Women’s Reservation Bill has not seen the light of the day. Critically discuss.

20.  4   The section 124A of Indian Penal Code 1870 is a colonial era provision which covers sedition charges against government. Human rights activists and supporters of free speech argue that this section is draconian and should be scrapped. What is your opinion?

                               

Q41 Can we say that India has dilemmas in Afghanistan?

Q42 Comment on the India-US trade dispute and India’s evolving geopolitical role.

Q43 What factors drive India’s Foreign Policy today?

Q44 Write a note on “India and Brexit”

Q45 Chart out possible scenarios for India-Pakistan Relations 

 

Q46 Can it be said that India’s relation with China is a complex one?

 

Q47 What is the evolving India-Iran relationship amidst the rising tension on Iran?

 

Q48 Is India a weak state? Assess.

 

Q49 How has transnational terrorism affected India’s relations with its immediate neighbourhood?

 

Q50 “South China Sea and India” : examine the relationship.

 

Q51 What are the benefits of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana ?

 

Q52 Examine the PRASAD scheme by Tourism ministry

 

Q53 What are the key initiatives of the government in the energy sector?

 

Q54 Comment on NITI AAYOG’s health index report.

 

Q55 Elucidate on the Green Corridor Project.

 

Q56 DO you think that the Namami Gange project has been successful?5

 

Q57 How important is to have e-courts?

 

Q58 How effective is the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN)?

 

Q59 What are sovereign gold bonds? How do these contribute towards Indian economy?

 

Q60 How, of late, has the government worked towards solidifying the banking system in India?

 

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.