GS-I UPSC PYQ 2023

Identify and discuss the factors responsible for diversity of natural vegetation in India. Assess the significance of wildlife sanctuaries in rain forest regions of India. (250 words, 15 Marks)

How are the Fjords formed? Why do they constitute some of the most picturesque areas of the world? (150 words, 10 Marks)

Child cuddling is now being replaced by mobile phones. Discuss its impact on the socialization of children. (150 words, 10 Marks)

Why is caste identity in India both fluid and static? (250 words, 15 Marks)

Explain the role of geographical factors towards the development of Ancient India. (150 words, 10 Marks)

Do you think marriage as a sacrament is loosing its value in Modern India? (150 words, 10 Marks)

Discuss the impact of post-liberal economy on ethnic identity and communalism. (250 words, 15 Marks)

Do you think marriage as a sacrament is loosing its value in Modern India? How to approach this question Write a brief introduction setting context ( 1–2 lines ) Cover both sides if question says "critically discuss / examine / analyse" Use data, schemes, examples specific to SOCIETY & SOCIAL ISSUES Conclude with a forward-looking statement ( 1 line ) Practice all GS1 Mains questions Model answers + key points for every question Open App Model Answer Framework (English) Show Hide In the Hindu tradition, marriage (vivaha) is not a contract but a sacrament (samskara) - one of the sixteen samskaras, a sacred, lifelong and ideally indissoluble religious union of two souls and two families. The question is whether, in modern India, this sacramental conception is losing its value. Signs that the sacramental value is declining Rising divorce and the contractual view: Divorce rates, especially in cities, are rising, and marriage is increasingly viewed as a terminable contract or a companionship arrangement rather than an unbreakable sacred bond. easemyprep.in New forms of partnership: Live-in relationships, now recognised by the courts, and a growing acceptance of remaining unmarried, challenge the idea of marriage as a sacred necessity. Changing timing and choice: The age at marriage is rising; love marriages, court marriages and inter-caste and inter-religious marriages are growing, shifting the basis of marriage from family-arranged sacrament towards individual choice. Social change: Individualism, the economic independence of women, nuclear families and changing gender roles all reduce the older dependence on marriage as an unquestioned institution. Commercialisation has also turned weddings into occasions of display. easemyprep.in Signs that the sacramental ideal persists Yet the decline must not be exaggerated. Marriage remains near-universal in India, and the arranged marriage is still dominant. Elaborate religious rituals - the saptapadi, kanyadaan, horoscope-matching - are still performed; weddings remain major religious and social events; endogamy stays strong; and India's divorce rate, by world standards, remains very low. For the vast majority, marriage still carries deep religious, ritual and social meaning. A balanced view easemyprep.in The change is real but uneven. The sacramental conception is weakening at the margins - chiefly in urban, educated, individualistic settings - as marriage moves towards a companionate and partly contractual model. But this is a transition , geographically and class-differentiated, not a collapse. The sacrament is being reinterpreted - blended with companionship and consent - rather than abandoned. Conclusion Marriage as a sacrament is losing some of its older absoluteness - its indissolubility and its priority over individual choice. But it has not lost its value; it is being reinterpreted for a modern age, combining the sacred and ritual significance of samskara with the newer ideals of companionship and partnership. In India, marriage remains, for most, both a sacrament and increasingly a chosen union. easemyprep.in Value addition (EMP · 2024–26) Change vs endurance: Divorce is ~1% (among the world lowest); live-in relationships recognised (Indra Sarma 2013); love marriages rose 3% (1970) to 12% (2020); caste as a matrimony filter fell 91% (2016) to 54% (2025). Current: The Uttarakhand UCC (in force 27 January 2025) standardises marriage and registration and bans polygamy, halala and iddat — the sacrament reframed within a rights-based civil code (STs excluded). Source: easemyprep.in Structured Mains Preparation Mains Mastery Programme Master Every GS Theme — GS1 to GS4 Theme-first. PYQ-anchored. You write every answer. All themes + all PYQs covered 2-Month or 4-Month track Starting ₹4,999 View GS4 Ethics Mastery · Now Live Ethics Mastery — 2 Questions Daily All GS4 PYQs · Part A + Part B Ethical lens built through daily practice Concept clarity + case study method Starting ₹1,999 View इस प्रश्न को हिंदी में पढ़ें हिंदी में पढ़ें → Structured Preparation Mains Mastery Programme Master Every GS Theme — GS1 to GS4 Theme-first. PYQ-anchored. You write every answer. All themes + all PYQs covered 2-Month or 4-Month track Starting ₹4,999 View GS4 Ethics Mastery · Now Live Ethics Mastery — 2 Questions Daily All GS4 PYQs · Part A + Part B Ethical lens built through daily practice Concept clarity + case study method Starting ₹1,999 View Practice All Mains GS1 — History, Society & Geography Questions Download App More GS1 Questions Ease My Prep Focused UPSC preparation. Daily current affairs, PYQ practice, trend analysis, and mentorship for serious CSE aspirants across India. Based in Gurugram, Haryana · Founded 2022 Product Features Pricing AI Copy Checking Courses Daily News Mentorship Books Blog Company About Us Community Contact Legal Privacy Policy Terms of Service Refund Policy 📱 Android App 🍎 iOS App 🌐 Web App © 2022 – 2026 Ease My Prep . All rights reserved. Made with dedication for UPSC aspirants across India.

From being net food importer in 1960s, India has emerged as a net food exporter to the world. Provide reasons. How to approach this question Write a brief introduction setting context ( 2–3 lines ) Cover both sides if question says "critically discuss / examine / analyse" Use data, schemes, examples specific to GEOGRAPHY Conclude with a forward-looking statement ( 2–3 lines ) Practice all GS1 Mains questions Model answers + key points for every question Open App Model Answer Framework (English) Show Hide From being a "ship-to-mouth" net food importer in the 1960s — dependent on imports under the US PL-480 programme — India has emerged as a major net food exporter . Several interlinked reasons explain this transformation. Reasons for the transformation: The Green Revolution (1960s–70s): the introduction of high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice, with assured irrigation, chemical fertilisers and pesticides — pioneered in Punjab, Haryana and western UP — multiplied foodgrain output (from around 50 million tonnes to over 300 million tonnes today). easemyprep.in Expansion of irrigation: canals, tubewells and, later, micro-irrigation extended assured water. Institutional support: Minimum Support Prices , procurement by the Food Corporation of India, the buffer-stock system, and assured markets gave farmers confidence to invest. Agricultural research and extension: the ICAR network, agricultural universities and improved seeds. easemyprep.in Mechanisation and credit: farm machinery, rural credit (cooperatives, Kisan Credit Cards) and rural electrification. Allied revolutions: the White Revolution (Operation Flood) made India the world's largest milk producer; the Blue Revolution (fisheries) and the rise of horticulture (the "Golden/Yellow" revolutions) diversified output. Policy and globalisation: post-1991 liberalisation and a focus on agri-exports. easemyprep.in Today India is the world's largest exporter of rice , and a significant exporter of wheat, sugar, marine products, spices, buffalo meat and other commodities. A balanced note: the achievement is real, but uneven — accompanied by regional disparity, ecological stress (groundwater depletion, soil degradation) and the paradox of persistent malnutrition despite surpluses. Conclusion: India's journey from food importer to exporter — driven by the Green Revolution, irrigation, institutional support and allied revolutions — is a landmark achievement of food security. The next challenge is to make this success sustainable, inclusive and nutrition-secure . easemyprep.in Source: easemyprep.in Structured Mains Preparation Mains Mastery Programme Master Every GS Theme — GS1 to GS4 Theme-first. PYQ-anchored. You write every answer. All themes + all PYQs covered 2-Month or 4-Month track Starting ₹4,999 View GS4 Ethics Mastery · Now Live Ethics Mastery — 2 Questions Daily All GS4 PYQs · Part A + Part B Ethical lens built through daily practice Concept clarity + case study method Starting ₹1,999 View इस प्रश्न को हिंदी में पढ़ें हिंदी में पढ़ें → Structured Preparation Mains Mastery Programme Master Every GS Theme — GS1 to GS4 Theme-first. PYQ-anchored. You write every answer. All themes + all PYQs covered 2-Month or 4-Month track Starting ₹4,999 View GS4 Ethics Mastery · Now Live Ethics Mastery — 2 Questions Daily All GS4 PYQs · Part A + Part B Ethical lens built through daily practice Concept clarity + case study method Starting ₹1,999 View Practice All Mains GS1 — History, Society & Geography Questions Download App More GS1 Questions Ease My Prep Focused UPSC preparation. Daily current affairs, PYQ practice, trend analysis, and mentorship for serious CSE aspirants across India. Based in Gurugram, Haryana · Founded 2022 Product Features Pricing AI Copy Checking Courses Daily News Mentorship Books Blog Company About Us Community Contact Legal Privacy Policy Terms of Service Refund Policy 📱 Android App 🍎 iOS App 🌐 Web App © 2022 – 2026 Ease My Prep . All rights reserved. Made with dedication for UPSC aspirants across India.

What was the difference between Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore in their approach towards education and nationalism? (150 words, 10 Marks)

Comment on the resource potentials of the long coastlines of India and highlight the status of natural hazard preparedness in these areas. (250 words, 15 Marks)

Why is the South-West Monsoon called ‘Purvaiya’ (easterly) in Bhojpur Region? How has this directional seasonal wind system influenced the cultural ethos of the region? (150 words, 10 Marks)

Why did human development fail to keep pace with economic development in India? (250 words, 15 Marks)

How will you explain that Medieval Indian temple sculptures represent the social life of those days?

Bring out the socio-economic effects of the introduction of railways in different countries of the world. (150 words, 10 Marks)

What are the main features of Vedic society and religion? Do you think some of the features are still prevailing in Indian society? (250 words, 15 Marks)

What were the major technological changes introduced during the Sultanate period? How did those technological changes influence Indian society? (250 words, 15 Marks)

How did colonial rule affect the tribals in India and what was the tribal response to the colonial oppression? (250 words, 15 Marks)

Why is the world today confronted with a crisis of availability of and access to freshwater resources? (150 words, 10 Marks)

Discuss the consequences of climate change on the food security in tropical countries. (150 words, 10 Marks)

Does urbanization lead to more segregation and/or marginalization of the poor in Indian metropolises? (250 words, 15 Marks)

Why is caste identity in India both fluid and static? How to approach this question Write a brief introduction setting context ( 2–3 lines ) Cover both sides if question says "critically discuss / examine / analyse" Use data, schemes, examples specific to SOCIETY & SOCIAL ISSUES Conclude with a forward-looking statement ( 2–3 lines ) Practice all GS1 Mains questions Model answers + key points for every question Open App Model Answer Framework (English) Show Hide Caste identity in India presents a striking paradox: it is at once static - rigid, fixed and unchanging - and fluid - negotiable, adaptive and constantly reshaped. Understanding why both are true is the key to understanding why caste has endured. The static dimensions of caste identity Ascription by birth: A person is born into a jati and cannot, in the conventional sense, leave it. Caste membership is hereditary and lifelong. easemyprep.in Endogamy: Marriage within one's caste remains the single most rigid feature of caste, persisting strongly even in urban, educated India. Endogamy continually reproduces caste boundaries. Persistence of hierarchy: Residues of the purity-pollution order, untouchability and the social ranking of castes continue, especially in rural areas. A fixed legal-administrative category: Through the census and reservation policy, caste is enumerated and frozen as an official category of the state. easemyprep.in Inter-generational transmission: Caste capital - networks, status and disadvantage alike - is passed down across generations, keeping the structure stable. The fluid dimensions of caste identity Sanskritisation: As M.N. Srinivas showed, lower castes adopt the practices, rituals and lifestyle of higher castes to claim a higher status - a route to upward mobility within the system. easemyprep.in Positional mobility of whole groups: The rank of an entire jati can rise or fall over generations - "positional change without structural change". Caste mobilisation and re-identification: Jatis form new federations and claim new identities; dominant communities such as the Jats, Marathas and Patidars have agitated to be reclassified as OBCs, showing caste categories are negotiable. Politicisation: Caste functions as a fluid, horizontal interest group, forming and dissolving political alliances. easemyprep.in The role of the colonial state: The colonial census itself counted, ranked and thereby reshaped caste, demonstrating that caste categories are historically constructed and changeable. Why caste is both at once The resolution of the paradox lies in distinguishing levels. The structure of caste - the principle of birth-ascription, endogamy and hierarchy - is static. But the position, meaning and strategy of particular castes within that structure are fluid. Caste survives precisely because it combines a rigid frame with adaptable content: fluidity at the level of jati strategy, staticness at the level of the system. easemyprep.in Conclusion Caste identity is static in its foundational rules - birth, endogamy and the residue of hierarchy - and fluid in its ranking, expression and political form. It is this very combination of rigidity and adaptability that has allowed caste to survive modernity by continually changing while remaining recognisably itself. Value addition (EMP · 2024–26) Static: Endogamy persists — only 11.4% inter-caste marriages (NFHS-5), ~95% within caste; NCRB logged 57,582 caste-crimes (2022). easemyprep.in Fluid: Sanskritisation (Srinivas), caste-as-difference (Gupta), politicisation (Kothari); the Davinder Singh ruling (2024) and the 2025 caste census entrench caste as a fluid legal-political identity even as ritual hierarchy weakens (Béteille). Source: easemyprep.in Structured Mains Preparation Mains Mastery Programme Master Every GS Theme — GS1 to GS4 Theme-first. PYQ-anchored. You write every answer. All themes + all PYQs covered 2-Month or 4-Month track Starting ₹4,999 View GS4 Ethics Mastery · Now Live Ethics Mastery — 2 Questions Daily All GS4 PYQs · Part A + Part B Ethical lens built through daily practice Concept clarity + case study method Starting ₹1,999 View इस प्रश्न को हिंदी में पढ़ें हिंदी में पढ़ें → Structured Preparation Mains Mastery Programme Master Every GS Theme — GS1 to GS4 Theme-first. PYQ-anchored. You write every answer. All themes + all PYQs covered 2-Month or 4-Month track Starting ₹4,999 View GS4 Ethics Mastery · Now Live Ethics Mastery — 2 Questions Daily All GS4 PYQs · Part A + Part B Ethical lens built through daily practice Concept clarity + case study method Starting ₹1,999 View Practice All Mains GS1 — History, Society & Geography Questions Download App More GS1 Questions Ease My Prep Focused UPSC preparation. Daily current affairs, PYQ practice, trend analysis, and mentorship for serious CSE aspirants across India. Based in Gurugram, Haryana · Founded 2022 Product Features Pricing AI Copy Checking Courses Daily News Mentorship Books Blog Company About Us Community Contact Legal Privacy Policy Terms of Service Refund Policy 📱 Android App 🍎 iOS App 🌐 Web App © 2022 – 2026 Ease My Prep . All rights reserved. Made with dedication for UPSC aspirants across India.

Explain why suicide among young women is increasing in Indian society. (150 words, 10 Marks)