UPSC Mains Essay Previous Year Questions

UPSC Civil Services Exam Mains Essay Previous Year Questions

Essay

2023

Write TWO Essays, choosing ONE topic from each of the following Sections A and B, in about 1000—1200 words each:

SECTION A

  1. Thinking is like a game, it does not begin unless there is an opposite team.
  2. Visionary decision-making happens at the intersection of intuition and logic.
  3. Not all who wander are lost.
  4. Inspiration for creativity springs from the effort to look for the magical in the mundane.

SECTION B

  1. Girls are weighed down by restrictions, boys with demands – two equally harmful disciplines.
  2. Mathematics is the music of reason.
  3. A society that has more justice is a society that needs less charity.
  4. Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.

2022

Write TWO Essays, choosing ONE topic from each of the following Sections A and B, in about 1000—1200 words each:

SECTION A

  1. Forests are the best case studies for economic excellence
  2. Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world
  3. History is a series of victories won by the scientific man over the romantic man
  4. A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ship is for

SECTION B

  1. The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining
  2. You cannot step twice in the same river
  3. A smile is the chosen vehicle for all ambiguities
  4. Just because you have a choice, it does not mean that any of them has to be right

2021

Write TWO Essays, choosing ONE topic from each of the following Sections A and B, in about 1000—1200 words each:

SECTION A

  1. The process of self-discovery has now been technologically outsourced.
  2. Your perception of me is a reflection of you; my reaction to you is an awareness of me.
  3. Philosophy of wantlessness is Utopian, while materialism is a chimera.
  4. The real is rational and the rational is real.

SECTION B

  1. Hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.
  2. What is research, but a blind date with knowledge!
  3. History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce.
  4. There are better practices to “best practices”.

2020

Write TWO Essays, choosing ONE topic from each of the following Sections A and B, in about 1000—1200 words each:

SECTION A

  1. Life is long journey between human being and being humane
  2. Mindful manifesto is the catalyst to a tranquil self
  3. Ships do not sink because of water around them , ships sink because of water that gets into them
  4. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication

SECTION B

  1. Culture is what we are, civilization is what we have
  2. There can be no social justice without economic prosperity but economic prosperity without social justice is meaningless
  3. Patriarchy is the least noticed yet the most significant structure of social inequality
  4. Technology as the silent factor in international relations

2019

Write TWO Essays, choosing ONE from each of the Sections A and B, in about 1000—1200 words each:

SECTION A

  1. Wisdom finds truth
  2. Values are not what humanity is, but what humanity ought to be
  3. Best for an individual is not necessarily best for the society
  4. Courage to accept and dedication to improve are two keys to success

SECTION B

  1. South Asian societies are woven not around the state, but around their plural cultures and plural identities
  2. Neglect of primary health care and education in India are reasons for its backwardness
  3. Biased media is a real threat to Indian democracy
  4. Rise of Artificial Intelligence : the threat of jobless future or better job opportunities through reskilling and upskilling

2018

Write TWO Essays, choosing ONE from each of the Sections A and B, in about 1000—1200 words each:

SECTION A

  1. Alternative technologies for a climate change resilient India
  2. A good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge
  3. Poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere
  4. Management of Indian border disputes—a complex task

SECTION B

  1. Customary morality cannot be a guide to modern life
  2. ‘The past’ is a permanent dimension of human consciousness and values
  3. A people that values its privileges above its principles loses both
  4. Reality does not conform to the ideal, but confirms it

2017

Write TWO Essays, choosing ONE from each of the Sections A and B, in about 1000—1200 words each:

SECTION A

  1. Farming has lost the ability to be a source of subsistence for majority of farmers in India.
  2. Impact of the new economic measures on fiscal ties between the union and states in India.
  3. Destiny of a nation is shaped in its classrooms.
  4. Has the Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) lost its relevance in a multipolar world ?

SECTION B

  1. Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.
  2. Fulfilment of ‘new woman’ in India is a myth.
  3. We may brave human laws but cannot resist natural laws.
  4. ‘Social media’ is inherently a selfish medium.

2016

Write TWO Essays, choosing ONE from each of the Sections A and B, in about 1000—1200 words each:

SECTION A

  1. If development is not engendered, it is endangered
  2. Need brings greed, if greed increases it spoils breed
  3. Water disputes between States in federal India
  4. Innovation is the key determinant of economic growth and social welfare

SECTION B

  1. Cooperative federalism : Myth or reality
  2. Cyberspace and Internet : Blessing or curse to the human civilization in the long run
  3. Near jobless growth in India : An anomaly or an outcome of economic reforms Digital economy .
  4. A leveller or a source of economic inequality

2015

Write TWO Essays, choosing ONE from each of the Sections A and B, in about 1000—1200 words each:

SECTION A

  1. Lending hands to someone is better than giving a dole.
  2. Quick but steady wins the race.
  3. Character of an institution is reflected in its leader.
  4. Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make a man more clever devil.

SECTION B

  1. Technology cannot replace manpower.
  2. Crisis faced in India — moral or economic.
  3. Dreams which should not let India sleep.
  4. Can capitalism bring inclusive growth ?

2014

Write TWO Essays, choosing ONE from each of the Sections A and B, in about 1000—1200 words each:

SECTION A

  1. With greater power comes greater responsibility.
  2. Is the growing level of competition good for the youth?
  3. Are the standardized tests good measure of academic ability or progress?
  4. Words are sharper than the two-edged sword.

SECTION B

  1. Was it the policy paralysis or the paralysis of implementation Which slowed the growth of our country?
  2. Is sting operation an invasion on privacy?
  3. Fifty Golds in Olympics : Can this be a reality for India?
  4. Tourism : Can this be the next big thing for India?

2013

Write an essay on any of the following topics in not more than 2500 Words

1. “Be The Change You Want To See In Others” – Gandhiji

2. Is The Colonial Mentality Hindering India’s Success?

3. GDP (Gross Domestic Product) Along with GDH (Gross Domestic Happiness) Would Be The Right Indices For Judging The Well-being Of A Country

4. Science and Technology Is The Panacea For The Growth and Security Of The Nation.