IAS Mains 2013 General Studies Paper 2 (GS2) analysis is based on the UPSC Mains 2013 GS2 question paper, which is already shared in this website. GS2 Question paper shows that UPSC has given maximum weightage for Foreign relations and Social Justice. Questions from polity and constitution combined together corresponded to 80 marks out of 250. There were questions from governance and international affairs (IMF/WB question). UPSC has touched almost all topics mentioned in the syllabus and all together this was a paper for a well read candidate and not for any constitutional experts.
IAS Mains 2013 General Studies Paper 2 (GS2) Analysis and Break-Up of Marks
IAS Mains 2013 General Studies Paper 2 (GS2) Question Areas and Types
| Qn. No | Subject | Question | Marks | Question Type |
| 1 | Polity | Anti-defection law | 10 | Static Analytical |
| 2 | Polity + Constitution | 66A of IT Act | 10 | Current Analytical |
| 3 | Polity + Constitution | Article 371A + Nagas | 10 | Current Analytical |
| 4 | Constitution | Amending the Constitution | 10 | Static Analytical |
| 5 | Governance | Smaller States | 10 | Current Analytical |
| 6 | Constitution | inter-state water disputes | 10 | Current Analytical |
| 7 | Polity + Constitution | 13th Finance Commission | 10 | Current Analytical |
| 8 | Governance | SEBI and IRDA | 10 | Current Analytical |
| 9 | Social Justice | Mid-Day Meal (MDM) | 10 | Current Analytical |
| 10 | Social Justice | Pressure groups | 10 | Current Analytical |
| 11 | Social Justice | Self Help Groups (SHGs) | 10 | Current Analytical |
| 12 | Governance + Social Justice | Centrally sponsored schemes | 10 | Current Analytical |
| 13 | Governance | Electronic cash transfer system | 10 | Current Analytical |
| 14 | Governance + Social Justice | PURA | 10 | Current Analytical |
| 15 | Social Justice | Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) | 10 | Current Analytical |
| 16 | Governance | Citizen’s charters | 10 | Current Analytical |
| 17 | Governance | Lokpal | 10 | Current Analytical |
| 18 | Foreign Relations | International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) | 10 | Current Analytical |
| 19 | Foreign Relations | The String of Pearls | 10 | Current Analytical |
| 20 | Foreign Relations | India and Japan | 10 | Current Analytical |
| 21 | Foreign Relations | Protests in Shahbag Square | 10 | Current Analytical |
| 22 | Foreign Relations | Maldives | 10 | Current Analytical |
| 23 | Foreign Relations | India — Sri Lanka | 10 | Current Analytical |
| 24 | Foreign Relations | Gujral doctrine | 10 | Current Analytical |
| 25 | International Relations | World Bank and the IMF | 10 | Static Conceptual |
IAS Mains 2013 General Studies Paper 2 (GS2) Analysis and Inference
- IAS text books like Laxmikanth or NCERT helped candidates to get a few questions from polity and consitution section, but most of the questions of GS2 came from news papers and online materials provided from the government’s side. (PIB, Government reports, online studymaterials etc. for CSS, PURA etc.)
- 90% of questions were related to current affairs. Good news paper reading habit (exploring the right areas) might have helped students in this paper much more than any bulky text book.
- Most of the question were analytical in nature.
- Foreign affairs totaled 70 marks, and to answer this section, good knowledge about the current foreign relations of India was necessary.
ClearIAS.com welcome feedback from candidates regarding the experience and difficulty level of the mains exam in the comment space below.
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