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UPSC General Studies Question Papers

Listed below are the UPSC General Studies question papers ordered yearwise for your understanding of the pattern of the IAS General Studies question paper. Please carefully go through this UPSC General Studies question bank that we have prepared for you so that you can get the trend for the questions that are set every year and as per analysis prepare well giving more time to recurring topics and important parts of the syllabus that carry more marks overall. The General Studies question paper lisetd below are actual papers that were given for the civil service prelims and mains examination held by UPSC. For better preparation for your civil services exam 2021 you must register for our online test series which has a mix of actual questions that appeared for the prelims exam along with expected questions. You can give this test as many times as you wish and can space it out all through yur preparation. Once registered it valid for 2 years.

General Studies Prelims Online Test[New] - General Studies Model Question Papers for your practice for the IAS exam.

Year Wise Question Papers from UPSC for IAS Examination

General studies question papers mains Topics and Trends
The major topics where questions are asked from in General Studies papers are listed below. The number of questions asked from the topic are in brackets. There is a variation each year so we have provided the range of number of questions.

General Studies paper 1
  1. History (3-4)
    • History of the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues
    • The Freedom Struggle (1-3)
    • Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.(1-3)
    • World History (1-2)
  2. TopicArt & Culture (1-3)
    • Art Forms
    • Literature and
    • Architecture, from ancient to modern times
  3. Geography (4-10)
    • Physical geography
    • Key natural resources across the world
    • Industrial Sectors
    • Indian & World Geography
    • Geophysical phenomena
    • Climate
    • Urbanization
    • Industrial Location
  4. Indian Society (6-11)
    • Indian Society salient features
    • Diversity in Indian Society
    • Women Role, Issues
    • Poverty, Hunger Issues
    • Urbanization, Issues
    • Globalization, Issues
    • Social Empowerment
    • Regionalism, Communalism, Secularism
General Studies paper 2
  1. Polity (4-10)
  2. Constitution Constitution (0-4)
  3. Governance Governance (3-6)
  4. Social Justice (2-4)
  5. International Relations (4-5)
General Studies paper 3
  1. Economic Development (4-6)
  2. Agriculture (2-4)
  3. Science & Technology (2-6)
  4. Environment & Ecology(1-4)
  5. Security, and (3-4)
  6. Disaster Management (1-2)
General Studies paper 4
  1. Ethics (2-7)
    • Essence, Determinants and Consequences of Ethics in – Human Actions
    • Dimensions of Ethics
    • Ethics – in Private and Public Relationships
    • Human Values – Lessons from the Lives and Teachings of Great Leaders, Reformers and Administrators
    • Role of Family Society and Educational Institutions in Inculcating Values
  2. Attitude (1-2)
    • Content, Structure, Function
    • Its Influence and Relation with Thought and Behaviour
    • Moral and Political Attitudes
    • Social Influence and Persuasion
  3. Aptitude (1-4)
    • Foundational Values for Civil Service
    • Integrity
    • Impartiality and Nonpartisanship
    • Objectivity
    • Dedication to Public Service
    • Empathy
    • Tolerance and Compassion towards the weaker-sections
  4. Moral Thinkers and Philosophers(0-3)
    • Contributions of the thinkers from India and the World.
  5. Emotional Intelligence (0-2)
    • Concepts, and their Utilities and
    • Application in Administration and Governance
  6. Public Organisations (2-3)
    • Civil Service Values and Ethics in Public Administration
    • Status and Problems
    • Ethical Concerns and Dilemmas in Government and Private Institutions
    • Laws, Rules, Regulations and Conscience as Sources of Ethical Guidance
    • Accountability and Ethical Governance
    • Strengthening of Ethical and Moral Values in Governance
    • Ethical Issues in International Relations and Funding
    • Corporate Governance
  7. Probity in Governance (2-4 questions)
    • Concept of Public Service
    • Philosophical Basis of Governance and Probity
    • Information Sharing and Transparency in Government
    • Right to Information
    • Codes of Ethics
    • Codes of Conduct
    • Citizen’s Charters
    • Work Culture
    • Quality of Service Delivery
    • Utilization of Public Funds
    • Challenges of Corruption

Model Question Booklets for Mains Examination

UPSC Prelims Question Papers

IAS Mains GS Question Papers



Daily GS Quiz [New] | Notes for General Studies [New] | Preliminary Syllabus of General Studies | Mains Syllabus of General Studies | Suggested Strategy for General Studies | Civil Service Exam Book for General Studies [New] | Download NCERT Books For Free | Marks Distribution for Prelims General Studies | Presidents of India | Prime Ministers of India | Current Affairs

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