Candidates may be required to write essays on multiple topics. They will be expected to keep closely to the subject of the essay to arrange their ideas in orderly fashion, and to write concisely. Credit will be given for effective and exact expression.
In this article, you will discover UPSC Previous Year Essay Questions along with a detailed topic-wise analysis.
History & Culture
| Year | Topic |
|---|---|
|
2020 |
Q. Culture is what we are, civilisation is what we have. |
|
2021 |
Q. History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce. |
|
2022 |
Q. History is a series of victorious won by the scientific man over the romantic man. |
Society/Diversity/Unity/Equality Etc
| Year | Topic |
|---|---|
|
2013 |
Q. Is the colonial mentality hindering India’s success? |
|
2017 |
Q. Fulfilment of ‘new woman’ in India is a myth. |
|
2019 |
Q. Best for an individual is not necessarily best for society |
|
2020 |
Q. There can be no social justice without economic prosperity but economic prosperity without social justice is meaningless. |
|
2020 |
Q. Patriarchy is the least noticed yet the most significant structure of social inequality |
|
2023 |
Q. Girls are weighed down by restrictions, boys with demands - two equally harmful disciplines. |
|
2023 |
Q. A society that has more justice is a society that needs less charity |
|
2024 |
Q. Social media is triggering ‘Fear of Missing Out’ amongst the youth, precipitating depression and loneliness. |
|
2024 |
Q. Nearly all men can stand adversity, but to test the character, give him power. |
Growth, Development and Welfare
| Year | Topic |
|---|---|
|
2014 |
Q. Is the growing level of competition good for the youth? |
|
2014 |
Q. Was it the policy paralysis or the paralysis of implementation which slowed the growth of our country? |
|
2015 |
Q. Dreams which should not let India sleep. |
|
2016 |
Q. Innovation is the key determinant of economic growth and social welfare |
|
2018 |
Q. Poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere |
|
2024 |
Q. The cost of being wrong is less than the cost of doing nothing. |
Empowerment Sectors
| Year | Topic |
|---|---|
|
2014 |
Q. Fifty Golds in Olympics: Can this be a reality for India? |
|
2014 |
Q. Tourism: Can this be the next big thing for India? |
Polity & Constitution Topics
| Year | Topic |
|---|---|
|
2014 |
Q. Is sting operation an invasion on privacy? |
|
2016 |
Q. Cooperative federalism: Myth or reality |
|
2017 |
Q. We may brave human laws but cannot resist natural laws. |
|
2019 |
Q. Biased media is a real threat to Indian democracy |
Health and Education
| Year | Topic |
|---|---|
|
2014 |
Q. Are the standardized tests good measure of academic ability or progress? |
|
2015 |
Q. Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make a man more clever devil. |
|
2017 |
Q. Destiny of a nation is shaped in its classrooms. |
|
2019 |
Q. Neglect of primary health care and education in India are reasons for its backwardness |
|
2021 |
Q. What is research, but a blind date with knowledge! |
|
2023 |
Q. Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school. |
Security and IR
| Year | Topic |
|---|---|
|
2017 |
Q. Has the Non- Alignment Movement (NAM) lost its relevance in a multipolar world? |
|
2018 |
Q. Management of Indian border disputes – a complex task |
|
2019 |
Q. South Asian societies are woven not around the state, but around their plural culture and plural identities |
Agriculture and Resource Management
| Year | Topic |
|---|---|
|
2016 |
Q. Water disputes between states in federal India |
|
2017 |
Q. Farming has lost the ability to be a source of subsistence for majority of farmers in IndiaA |
Economy
| Year | Topic |
|---|---|
|
2013 |
Q. GDP (Gross Domestic Product) along with GDH (Gross Domestic Happiness) would be the right indices for judging the well-being of a country. |
|
2015 |
Q. Crisis faced in India – moral or economic |
|
2015 |
Q. Can capitalism bring inclusive growth? |
|
2016 |
Q. Near jobless growth in India: An anomaly or an outcome of economic reforms |
|
2016 |
Q. Digital economy: A leveller or a source of economic inequality |
|
2017 |
Q. Impact of the new economic measures on fiscal ties between the union and states in India. |
|
2022 |
Q. Forests are the best case studies for economic excellence. |
Science and Technology
| Year | Topic |
|---|---|
|
2013 |
Q. Science and Technology is the panacea for the growth and security of the nation. |
|
2015 |
Q. Technology cannot replace manpower. |
|
2016 |
Q. Cyberspace and internet: Blessing or curse to the human civilization in the long run |
|
2017 |
Q. Social media is inherently a selfish medium. |
|
2018 |
Q. Alternative technologies for a climate change resilient India |
|
2019 |
Q.Rise of Artificial Intelligence: the threat of jobless future or better job opportunities through reskilling and upskilling |
|
2020 |
Q. Technology as the silent factor in international relations. |
|
2021 |
Q. The process of self-discovery has now been technologically outsourced. |
|
2024 |
Q. The doubter is a true man of science. |
Philosophy and Values
| Year | Topic |
|---|---|
|
2013 |
Q. Be the change you want to see in others – Gandhiji |
|
2014 |
Q. With greater power comes greater responsibility. |
|
2014 |
Q. Words are Sharper than the two-edged sword. |
|
2015 |
Q. Lending hands to someone is better than giving a dole. |
|
2015 |
Q. Quick but steady wins the race. |
|
2015 |
Q. Character of an institution is reflected in its leader. |
|
2016 |
Q. Need brings greed, if greed increases it spoils breed |
|
2017 |
Q. Joy is the simplest form of gratitude. |
|
2018 |
Q. A good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge |
|
2018 |
Q. Customary morality cannot be a guide to modern life |
|
2018 |
Q. ‘The past’ is a permanent dimension of human consciousness and values |
|
2018 |
Q. A people that values its privileges above its principles loses both |
|
2018 |
Q. Reality does not conform to the ideal, but confirms it |
|
2019 |
Q. Wisdom finds truth |
|
2019 |
Q. Values are not what humanity is, but what humanity ought to be |
|
2019 |
Q. Courage to accept and dedication to improve are two keys to success |
|
2020 |
Q. Life is a long journey between human being and being humane. |
|
2020 |
Q. Mindful manifesto is the catalyst to a tranquil self. |
|
2020 |
Q. Ships do not sink because of water around them, ships sink because of water that gets into them. |
|
2020 |
Q. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. |
|
2021 |
Q. Your perception of me is a reflection of you; my reaction to you is an awareness of me. |
|
2021 |
Q. Philosophy of wantlessness is Utopian, while materialism is a chimera. |
|
2021 |
Q. The real is rational and the rational is real. |
|
2021 |
Q. Hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. |
|
2021 |
Q. There are better practices to “best practices”. |
|
2022 |
Q. Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world. |
|
2022 |
Q. A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what a ship is for. |
|
2022 |
Q. The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining. |
|
2022 |
Q. You cannot step twice in the same river. |
|
2022 |
Q. A smile is the chosen vehicle for all ambiguities. |
|
2022 |
Q. Just because you have a choice, it does not mean that any of them has to be right. |
|
2023 |
Q. Thinking is like a game, it does not begin unless there is an opposite team. |
|
2023 |
Q. Visionary decision-making happens at the intersection of intuition and logic. |
|
2023 |
Q. Not all who wander are lost. |
|
2023 |
Q. Inspiration for creativity springs from the effort to look for the magical in the mundane. |
|
2023 |
Q. Mathematics is the music of reason. |
|
2024 |
Q. Forests precede civilizations, and deserts follow them. |
|
2024 |
Q. The empires of the future will be the empires of the mind. |
|
2024 |
Q. There is no path to happiness; Happiness is the path. |
|
2024 |
Q. All ideas having large consequences are always simple. |
