UPSC CSE Mains Model Questions: GS Paper 1 [30-Day AWP Compilation]

This is a compilation of the General Studies Paper 1 model questions we provided as part of ClearIAS 30-day Mains Answer Writing Program(AWP) 2016.

IAS Mains Model Questions: General Studies Paper 1

Aspirants who write mains are advised to go through these questions, answers written by other candidates, and the respective feedback from ClearIAS Team.

1. India is already facing a water crisis—and it is only going to get worse. Critically examine this statement. (200 words – 12.5 marks)
2. LPG reforms initiated in 1991 brought big changes in Indian society. Discuss the changes in the backdrop of 25 years of liberalization. Is India better off? (200 words – 12.5 marks)
3. Bhagat Singh has left an indelible mark on India’s history through his bravery. His idea of the freedom struggle was beyond the mere objective of freeing India. Comment. (200 words – 12.5 marks)
4. What is Drought? Explain the different types of droughts. Suggest measures to ameliorate drought distress. (200 words – 12.5 marks)
5. Did Japan’s policy of rapid industrialization lead to war with its neighbors and destruction of the environment? Analyse. (200 words – 12.5 marks)
6. It is not just imperfect laws, but the complex interplay of social forces, ideological biases, and political choices that inhibits freedom of expression in India. Discuss. (200 words – 12.5 marks)
7. Online shopping is changing rural India . Discuss. (200 words – 12.5 marks)
8. Discuss the role of Jaya Prakash Narayan in post-independent India. (200 words – 12.5 marks)
9. Analyse the factors responsible for the location of tertiary industries in India. (200 words – 12.5 marks)
10. Pundit Deendayal Upadhyaya’s efforts were to build a social, economic and political structure in India, based on the nation’s indigenous value systems. Discuss. (200 words – 12.5 marks)
11. The New Delhi in 1976 could not be compared to Berlin under Hitler, Moscow under Stalin, Beijing under Mao, Santiago under Pinochet and Islamabad under Zia Ul Huq. Discuss. (200 words – 12.5 marks)
12. ‘Indian society is a collection of minorities, there is nothing called majority’. Critically analyse. (200 words – 12.5 marks)
13. What is Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) and Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO)? Explain the relation of IOD and MJO with Indian monsoon. (200 words – 12.5 marks)
14. What is Coral Bleaching? What are the threats to the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef system? (200 words – 12.5 marks)
15. ‘The communalism of a majority is apt to be taken for nationalism’. Comment. (200 words – 12.5 marks)
16. Human activity is leading to the extinction of species and habitats and and loss of bio-diversity in many parts of India. Identify the regions in India where the biodiversity loss is maximum. What are the recent steps taken by Government of India to conserve biodiversity in India? (200 words – 12.5 marks)
17. Anti-caste struggle in India had many things in common with the US civil rights movement. Compare and discuss the activities of Ambedkar and Dr Martin Luther King.(200 words – 12.5 marks)
18. Discuss the role of Rabindra Nath Tagore in Indian freedom movement.(200 words – 12.5 marks)
19. ‘Though growth of Nationalism is attributed to the Western influence, Swami Vivekananda’s nationalism is deeply rooted in Indian spirituality and morality’. Critically analyse this statement.(200 words – 12.5 marks)
20. Discuss any three events in the post-Independent India which made profound changes not only in the political and economical spheres of independent India but also on Indian society as a whole. Justify with the reasons.(200 words – 12.5 marks)
21. Distinguish between tropical and temperate cyclones. What are the conditions which favour the origin of a tropical cyclone? (200 words – 12.5 marks)
22. Does Britain owes reparations for colonising India? Analyse.(200 words – 12.5 marks)
23. British Empire is sometimes called an “accidental” Empire. How correct is this view? Critically analyse.(200 words – 12.5 marks)
24. The American Civil War produced far-reaching results of immense significance. Discuss.(200 words – 12.5 marks)
25. Although its tenure in office was tumultuous and unsuccessful, the Janata party played a definitive role in Indian politics and history and its legacy remains strong in contemporary India. Discuss.(200 words – 12.5 marks)
26. Distinguish between Socialism and Communism. Discuss the events that led to the fall of communism in Europe.(200 words – 12.5 marks)
27. What is the importance of Non Cooperation movement in Indian history? Looking back, analyse if it was a right decision to call of Non Cooperation movement?(200 words – 12.5 marks)
28. Files on Netaji are recently declassified. What was the impact of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in Indian Freedom Struggle? Discuss.(200 words – 12.5 marks
29. ‘Although many wanted a revolution, no one expected it to happen when it did’. Discuss the above statement in the background of Russian revolution of 1917.Did the two revolutions completely changed the fabric of Russia? (200 words – 12.5 marks)
30. How did globalization affect the marginalized sections of Indian society? Discuss.(200 words – 12.5 marks)

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