UPSC CIVIL SERVICES (MAIN) EXAMINATION — PRACTICE SERIES
GENERAL STUDIES — PAPER I
Indian Heritage and Culture · History and Geography of the World and Society
PRACTICE SET – 2
Time Allowed : Three Hours Maximum Marks : 250
INSTRUCTIONS
1. There are TWENTY questions printed in ENGLISH. All questions are compulsory.
2. The number of marks carried by a question is indicated against it.
3. Questions no. 1 to 10 carry 10 marks each; answers should be in about 150 words.
4. Questions no. 11 to 20 carry 15 marks each; answers should be in about 250 words.
5. Word limits should be adhered to; the content of an answer is more important than its length.
6. Read the directive verb of each question and answer all parts of a stacked question.
7. Support answers with maps, diagrams and data wherever appropriate. Any blank page/portion must be struck off.
1. Estimate the contribution of the Chola period to the development of temple architecture and10
bronze sculpture in South India.
2. “Harappan town planning reveals a civilisation preoccupied with order, hygiene and civic10
uniformity.” Discuss.
3. Evaluate the role of the nineteenth-century socio-religious reform movements in the making of a10
modern national consciousness.
4. “The true legacy of the French Revolution lies less in France than in the ideas it exported to the10
world.” Comment.
5. The growing participation of women in the gig economy is a double-edged instrument of10
empowerment. Examine.
6. How is the replacement of shared family time by personal digital devices altering the socialisation10
of children in India?
7. What are tsunamis? Explain the conditions and mechanism of their formation, and why some10
coasts are more vulnerable than others.
8. Explain the origin of ocean currents and their influence on the climate, fishing and navigation of10
adjoining coastlands.
9. What are non-farm primary activities? How are they related to the physiographic diversity of India?10
Discuss with examples.
10. Distinguish between regionalism and sub-nationalism. Is regionalism always a threat to national10
integration?
11. “The years between 1942 and 1947 marked the decisive endgame of British rule in India.”15
Discuss the factors that made independence inevitable.
12. To what extent was the First World War a product of the breakdown of the balance-of-power15
system in Europe? Critically examine.
13. “The urban migration of young, single, working women is redefining both their personal freedom15
and their relationship with the family.” Discuss.
14. “Tolerance, assimilation and pluralism are the defining elements of an Indian form of secularism.”15
Justify your answer.
UPSC Mains Practice Series · modelled on the 2013–2025 PYQ pattern · for practice only — not an official UPSC paper Page 1
15. What is meant by a ‘demographic winter’? Examine whether India’s demographic dividend risks15
turning into a demographic burden.
16. How does the rise in sea-surface temperature influence the frequency and intensity of tropical15
cyclones? Illustrate with reference to the Indian coastline.
17. Give a geographical account of the distribution of the world’s offshore oil reserves. How do they15
differ from onshore occurrences?
18. Explain how the tectonic movement of crustal plates alters the shape and size of continents and15
ocean basins over geological time.
19. Differentiate the causes of landslides in the Himalayas from those in the Western Ghats, and15
suggest a hazard-preparedness strategy suited to each region.
20. “Achieving sustainable growth with an emphasis on environmental protection can come into direct15
conflict with the immediate needs of the poor in a country like India.” Comment.
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