Topics

Highlighted Topics were the topics asked in our Mains Test Batch

Year

Write two essays, choosing one topic from each of the following Sections A and B of about 1000-1200 words each:

Section A

1.    Forests precede civilizations and deserts follow them.

2.    The empires of the future will be the empires of the mind.

3.    There is no path to happiness; Happiness is the path.

4.    The doubter is a true man of science.

      (Similar Topic in Our Essay Test - "Dialectics is the essence of science")

Section B

5.    Social media is triggering ‘Fear of Missing Out’ amongst the youth, precipitating depression and loneliness.

6.    Nearly all men can stand adversity, but to test the character, give him power.

(Similar Topic in Our Essay Test - " The measure of a man’s real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.")

7.    All ideas having large consequences are always simple.

8.    The cost of being wrong is less than the cost of doing nothing.

2024

Section A

• Thinking is like a game; it does not begin unless there is an opposite team.

• Wisdom lies neither in fixity nor in change, but in the dialectic between the two.

• Visionary decision-making happens at the intersection of intuition and logic.

• When intuition and logic agree, you are always right.

• Not all who wander are lost.
• Inspiration for creativity springs from the effort to look for the magical in the mundane.

Section B

• Girls are weighed down by restrictions, boys with demands – two equally harmful disciplines.

• Her wings are cut and then she is blamed for not knowing how to fly.

• Mathematics is the music of reason.
• A society that has more justice is a society that needs less charity.
• Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.

• Education sans values

2023

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 harbor is safe, but that is not what ship is for.

• Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.
• The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible.

Section B

5. The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining

6. You cannot step twice in the same river

7. A smile is the chosen vehicle for all ambiguities.

• In a gentle way you can shake the world.

8. Just because you have a choice, it does not mean that any of them has to be right.

• The end may justify the means as long as there is something that justifies the end.

• Reason has always existed, but not always in a reasonable form.

2022

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.

·      We see things as we are. We don’t see them as they are.

3. Philosophy of wantlessness is Utopian, while materialism is a chimera.

4. The real is rational and the rational is real.

·      The end may justify the means as long as there is something that justifies the end.

Section B

5. Hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.

·      The fastest way to change society is to mobilize the women of the world.

6. What is research, but a blind date with knowledge!

7. History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce.

8. There are better practices to “best practices”.

2021

Section A

1.  Life is long journey between human being and being humane.

·      How much money does a man need?.

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

·      Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

·      The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible.

·      Don''t judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.

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.

·      The success of a society is to be evaluated primarily by the freedoms that members of the society enjoy.

·      Its time to rethink India''s policy on poverty.

3.  Patriarchy is the least noticed yet the most significant structure of social inequality.

·      Woman is God''s best creation.

4.  Technology as the silent factor in international relations.

2020

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

5.  South Asian societies are woven not around the state, but around their plural cultures and plural identities

6.  Neglect of primary health care and education in India are reasons for its backwardness.

7.  Biased media is a real threat to Indian democracy

8.  Rise of Artificial Intelligence: the threat of jobless future or better job opportunities through reskilling and upskilling

2019

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

2018

UPSC MAINS 2017 ESSAY QUESTION PAPER

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. Fulfillment 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.

2017

UPSC Mains 2015 Essay Paper

Instructions: Write two essays, choosing one from each of the following Section A & B, in about 1000-1200 words.                         Total Marks : 250

Section-A: 125 Marks

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: 125 Marks

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.

4.  Digital economy: A leveller or a source of economic inequality.

2016

UPSC Mains 2015 Essay Paper

Instructions: Write two essays, choosing one from each of the following Section A & B, in about 1000-1200 words.                         Total Marks : 250

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?.

2015

Section-A

Ø With greater power comes greater responsibility.

Ø Is the growing level of competition good for the youth?

Ø Are the standardized tests good measure of academic ability or progress?

Ø Words are sharper than the two-edged sword.

Section-B

Ø Was it the policy paralysis or the paralysis of implementation which slowed the growth of our country?

Ø Is sting operation an invasion on privacy?

Ø Fifty Golds in Olympics: Can this be a reality for India?

Ø Tourism: Can this be the next big thing for India?

2014

Write an essay on any one of the following topics, in not more than 2500 words. (250 marks)

Ø Be the change you want to see in others (Gandhi)

Ø Is the Colonial mentality hindering India’s Success?

Ø GDP (Gross Domestic Product) along with GDH (Gross Domestic Happiness) would be the right indices for judging the wellbeing of a country

Ø Science and technology is the panacea for the growth and security of the nation.

2013

Ø In the context of Gandhiji’s views on the matter, explore, on an evolutionary scale, the terms ‘Swadhinata’, ‘Swaraj’ and ‘Dharmarajya’. Critically comment on their contemporary relevance to Indian democracy.

Ø Is the criticism that the ‘Public-Private-Partnership’ (PPP) model for development is more of a bane than a boon in the Indian context, justified?

Ø Science and Mysticism: Are they compatible?

Ø Managing work and home – is the Indian working woman getting a fair deal?

2012

Ø Creation of smaller states and the consequent administrative, economic and developmental implication.

Ø Does Indian Cinema shape our popular culture or merely reflect it?

Ø Credit – based higher education system – status, opportunities and challenges.

Ø In the Indian context, both human intelligence and technical intelligence are crucial in combating terrorism

2011

Ø Geography may remain the same; history need not

Ø Should a moratorium be imposed on all fresh mining in tribal areas of the country?

Ø Preparedness of our society for India'' global leadership role

Ø From traditional Indian philanthropy to the gates-buffet model-a natural progression or a paradigm shift?

 2010

Ø Are our traditional handicrafts doomed to a slow death?

Ø Are we a soft state?

Ø  The focus of health care is increasingly getting skewed towards the ''haves'' of our society

Ø Good fences make good neighbors

Ø Globalization vs. Nationalism

2009

Ø Role of media in good governance

Ø National identity and patriotism

Ø Special economic zone: boon or bane

Ø Discipline means success and anarchy means ruin

Ø Urbanization and its hazards

Ø Is an egalitarian society possible by educating the masses?

2008

Ø Independent thinking should be encouraged right from the childhood.

Ø Evaluation of Panchayati Raj System in India from the point of view of eradication of power to people.

Ø Attitude makes, habit makes character and character makes a man.

Ø Is Autonomy the best answer to combat balkanization?

Ø How has satellite television brought about cultural change in Indian mindsets?

Ø BPO boom in India.

2007

Ø Women''s Reservation Bill Would Usher in Empowerment for Women in India.

Ø Protection of Ecology and Environment is Essential for Sustained Economic Development.

Ø Importance of Indo-U.S. Nuclear Agreement.

Ø "Education for All" Campaign in India: Myth or Reality.

Ø Globalization Would Finish Small-Scale Industries in India.

Ø Increasing Computerization Would lead to the Creation of a Dehumanized Society.

2006

Ø Justice must reach the poor

Ø The hand that rocks the cradle

Ø If women ruled the world

Ø What is real education?

Ø Terrorism and world peace

Ø Food security for sustainable national development

2005

Ø India’s role in promoting ASEAN cooperation

Ø Judicial activism and Indian democracy

Ø Whither women’s emancipation

Ø Globalization and its impact on Indian culture

Ø The lure of space

Ø Water resources should be under the control of the central government

2004

Ø The masks of new imperialism

Ø How far has democracy in India delivered the goods

Ø How should a civil servant conduct himself?

Ø As civilization advances culture declines

Ø There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so

Ø Spirituality and scientific temper

2003

Ø Modern technological education and human values

Ø Search for truth can only be a spiritual  problem

Ø If youth knew, if age could.

Ø The paths of glory lead but to the grave

Ø Privatization of higher education in India

Ø Responsibility of media in democracy

2002

Ø What have we gained from our democratic set-up?

Ø My vision of an ideal world order

Ø The march of science  and the erosion of human values

Ø Irrelevance of the classroom

Ø The pursuit of excellence

Ø Empowerment alone cannot help our women

2001

Ø Why should we be proud of being Indians?

Ø The cyber world : its charm and challenges

Ø The country''s need for a better disaster management system

Ø Indian culture today: a myth or a reality?

Ø  The implications of globalization for India

Ø Modernism and our traditional socio-ethical values

2000

Ø Women’s empowerment: challenges and prospects

Ø The youth culture today

Ø Mass media and cultural invasion

Ø Resource management in the Indian context

Ø Value-based science and education

Ø Reservations, politics and empowerment

1999

Ø The composite culture of India

Ø  Woman is god'' best creation

Ø  The misinterpretation and misuse of freedom in India

Ø India’s contribution to world wisdom

Ø The language problem in India: its past, present and prospects

Ø The world of the twenty-first century

1998

Ø  What we have not learnt during fifty years of Independence

Ø  Judicial activism

Ø Greater political power alone will not improve  women plight

Ø True religion cannot be misused

Ø  The modern doctor and his patients

Ø  Urbanization is blessing disguise

1997

Ø Literacy is growing very fast but there is no  corresponding growth in education

Ø Restructuring of the UNO to reflect present realities

Ø New cults and god men a threat to  traditional religions

Ø The VIP cult is a bane of Indian  democracy

Ø  Need for transparency in Public Administration

Ø  Truth is lived, not taught

1996

Ø Politics without ethic is a disaster

Ø  The new emerging woman power: the ground realities

Ø  When money speaks, the truth is silent

Ø  Whither Indian democracy?

Ø Restructuring of Indian education system

Ø Disinterested intellectual curiosity is the life blood real civilization

Ø Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds

1995

Ø Youth is a blunder, manhood a struggle, old age a regret

Ø Indian Society at the crossroads

Ø The Challenge before a civil servant today

Ø Modernization and westernization are not identical concepts

Ø A useless life is an early death

Ø Politics, Business and Bureaucracy-a fatal triangle

Ø Multinational Corporations-saviors or saboteurs

1994

Ø My vision of India in 2001

Ø  The emerging Global order, Political and Economic

Ø "He who Reigns within himself and Rules his Passions, Desires and Fears, is more than a King"

Ø Compassion is the basis of all Morality

Ø Men have failed; let women take over

Ø Economic growth without distributive justice is bound to breed violence

Ø Ecological considerations need not hamper development

Ø Computer: The harbinger of silent revolution

1993