Civil Services Examination

UPSC Essay Paper 2025

General Studies Papers 2025

UPSC Mains Question Paper 2025: General Studies-1

1. Discuss the salient features of the Harappan architecture. (Answer in 150 words) 10
2. Examine the main aspects of Akbar’s religious syncretism. (Answer in 150 words) 10
3. ‘The sculptors filled the Chandella artform with resilient vigor and breadth of life.’ Elucidate. (Answer in 150 words) 10
4. How are climate change and the sea level rise affecting the very existence of many island nations? Discuss with examples. (Answer in 150 words) 10
5. What are non-farm primary activities? How are these activities related to physiographic features in India? Discuss with suitable examples. (Answer in 150 words) 10
6. Explain briefly the ecological and economic benefits of solar energy generation in India with suitable examples. (Answer in 150 words) 10
7. What are Tsunamis ? How and where are they formed ? What are their consequences ? Explain with examples. (Answer in 150 words) 10
8. How does smart city in India, address the issues of urban poverty and distributive justice ? (Answer in 150 words) 10
9. The ethos of civil service in India stand for the combination of professionalism with nationalistic consciousness – Elucidate. (Answer in 150 words) 10
10. Do you think that globalization results in only an aggressive consumer culture ? Justify your answer. (Answer in 150 words) 10
11. Mahatma Joti Rao Phule’s writings and efforts of social reforms touched issues of almost all subaltern classes. Discuss. (Answer in 250 words) 15
12. Trace India’s consolidation process during early phase of independence in terms of polity, economy, education and international relations. (Answer in 250 words) 15
13. The French Revolution has enduring relevance to the contemporary world. Explain. (Answer in 250 words) 15
14. Give a geographical explanation of the distribution of off-shore oil reserves of the world. How are they different from the on-shore occurrences of oil reserves? (Answer in 250 words) 15
15. How can Artificial Intelligence (AI) and drones be effectively used along with GIS and RS techniques in locational and areal planning? (Answer in 250 words) 15
16. Discuss how the changes in shape and sizes of continents and ocean basins of the planet take place due to tectonic movements of the crustal masses. (Answer in 250 words) 15
17. Discuss the distribution and density of population in the Ganga River Basin with special reference to land, soil and water resources. (Answer in 250 words) 15
18. How do you account for the growing fast food industries given that there are increased health concerns in modern society? Illustrate your answer with the Indian experience. (Answer in 250 words) 15
19. Achieving sustainable growth with emphasis on environmental protection could come into conflict with poor people’s needs in a country like India – Comment. (Answer in 250 words) 15
20. Does tribal development in India centre around two axes, those of displacement and of rehabilitation? Give your opinion. (Answer in 250 words) 15

UPSC Mains Question Paper 2025: General Studies-2

1. Discuss the ‘corrupt practices’ for the purpose of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. Analyze whether the increase in the assets of the legislators and/or their associates, disproportionate to their known sources of income, would constitute ‘undue influence’ and consequently a corrupt practice. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks
2. Comment on the need of administrative tribunals as compared to the court system. Assess the impact of the recent tribunal reforms through rationalization of tribunals made in 2021. (Answer in 150 words) 10
3. Compare and contrast the President’s power to pardon in India and in the USA. Are there any limits to it in both the countries? What are ‘preemptive pardons’? (Answer in 150 words) 10
4. Discuss the nature of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly after the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019. Briefly describe the powers and functions of the Assembly of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. (Answer in 150 words) 10
5. “The Attorney General of India plays a crucial role in guiding the legal framework of the Union Government and ensuring sound governance through legal counsel.” Discuss his responsibilities, rights and limitations in this regard. (Answer in 150 words) 10
6. Women’s social capital complements in advancing empowerment and gender equity. Explain (Answer in 150 words) 10
7. E-governance projects have a built-in bias towards technology and back-end integration than user-centric designs. Examine. (Answer in 150 words) 10
8. Civil Society Organizations are often perceived as being anti-State actors than non-State actors. Do you agree? Justify. (Answer in 150 words) 10
9. India-Africa digital partnership is achieving mutual respect, co-development and long-term institutional partnerships. Elaborate. (Answer in 150 words) 10
10. “With the waning of globalization, post-Cold War world is becoming a site of sovereign nationalism.” Elucidate. (Answer in 150 words) 10
11. “Constitutional morality is the fulcrum which acts as an essential check upon the high functionaries and citizens alike…” In view of the above observation of the Supreme Court, explain the concept of constitutional morality and its application to ensure balance between judicial independence and judicial accountability in India. (Answer in 250 words) 15
12. Indian Constitution has conferred the amending power on the ordinary legislative institutions with a few procedural hurdles. In view of this statement, examine the procedural and substantive limitations on the amending power of the Parliament to change the Constitution. (Answer in 250 words) 15
13. Discuss the evolution of collegium system in India. Critically examine the advantages and disadvantages of the system of appointment of the Judges of the Supreme Court of India and that of the USA. (Answer in 250 words) 15
14. Examine the evolving pattern of Centre-State financial relations in the context of planned development in India. How far have the recent reforms impacted the fiscal federalism in India (Answer in 250 words) 15
15. What are environmental pressure groups? Discuss their role in raising awareness, influencing policies and advocating for environmental protection in India. (Answer in 250 words) 15
16. Inequality in the ownership pattern of resources is one of the major causes of poverty. Discuss in the context of ‘paradox of poverty’. (Answer in 250 words) 15
17. “In contemporary development models, decision-making and problem-solving responsibilities are not located close to the source of information and execution defeating the objectives of development.” Critically evaluate. (Answer in 250 words) 15
18. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has to address the challenges faced by children in the digital era. Examine the existing policies and suggest measures the Commission can initiate to tackle the issue. (Answer in 250 words) 15
19. “Energy security constitutes the dominant kingpin of India’s foreign policy, and is linked with India’s overarching influence in Middle Eastern countries.” How would you integrate energy security with India’s foreign policy trajectories in the coming years? (Answer in 250 words) 15
20. “The reform process in the United Nations remains unresolved, because of the delicate imbalance of East and West and entanglement of the USA vs. Russo-Chinese alliance.” Examine and critically evaluate the East-West policy confrontations in this regard. (Answer in 250 words) 15

UPSC Mains Question Paper 2025: General Studies-3

1. Distinguish between the Human Development Index (HDI) and the Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI) with special reference to India. Why is the IHDI considered a better indicator of inclusive growth? (Answer in 150 words) 10
2. What are the challenges before the Indian economy when the world is moving away from free trade and multilateralism to protectionism and bilateralism? How can these challenges be met? (Answer in 150 words) 10
3. Explain the factors influencing the decision of the farmers on the selection of high value crops in India. (Answer in 150 words) 10
4. Elaborate the scope and significance of supply chain management of agricultural commodities in India. (Answer in 150 words) 10
5. The fusion energy programme in India has steadily evolved over the past few decades. Mention India’s contributions to the international fusion energy project – International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). What will be the implications of the success of this project for the future of global energy? (Answer in 150 words) 10
6. How can India achieve energy independence through clean technology by 2047? How can biotechnology play a crucial role in this endeavour? (Answer in 150 words) 10
7. What is Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS)? What is the potential role of CCUS in tackling climate change? (Answer in 150 words) 10
8. Seawater intrusion in the coastal aquifers is a major concern in India. What are the causes of seawater intrusion and the remedial measures to combat this hazard? (Answer in 150 words) 10
9. Terrorism is a global scourge. How has it manifested in India? Elaborate with contemporary examples. What are the counter measures adopted by the State? Explain. (Answer in 150 words)10
10. The Government of India recently stated that Left Wing Extremism (LWE) will be eliminated by 2026. What do you understand by LWE and how are the people affected by it? What measures have been taken by the government to eliminate LWE? (Answer in 150 words) 10
11. Explain how the Fiscal Health Index (FHI) can be used as a tool for assessing the fiscal performance of states in India. In what way would it encourage the states to adopt prudent and sustainable fiscal policies? (Answer in 250 words) 15
12. Discuss the rationale of the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. What are its achievements? In what way can the functioning and outcomes of the scheme be improved. (Answer in 250 words) 15
13. Examine the factors responsible for depleting groundwater in India. What are the steps taken by the government to mitigate such depletion of groundwater? (Answer in 250 words) 15
14. Examine the scope of the food processing industries in India. Elaborate the measures taken by the government in the food processing industries for generating employment opportunities.(Answer in 250 words) 15
15. How does nanotechnology offer significant advancements in the field of agriculture? How can this technology help to uplift the socio-economic status of farmers? (Answer in 250 words) 15
16. India aims to become a semiconductor manufacturing hub. What are the challenges faced by the semiconductor industry in India? Mention the salient features of the India Semiconductor Mission. (Answer in 250 words) 15
17. Mineral resources are fundamental to the country’s economy and these are exploited by mining. Why is mining considered an environmental hazard? Explain the remedial measures required to reduce the environmental hazard due to mining. (Answer in 250 words) 15
18. Write a review on India’s climate commitments under the Paris Agreement (2015) and mention how these have been further strengthened in COP26 (2021). In this direction, how has the first Nationally Determined Contribution intended by India been updated in 2022? (Answer in 250 words) 15
19. What are the major challenges to internal security and peace process in the North-Eastern States? Map the various peace accords and agreements initiated by the government in the past decade. (Answer in 250 words) 15
20. Why is maritime security vital to protect India’s sea trade? Discuss maritime and coastal security challenges and the way forward. (Answer in 250 words) 15

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