Topic-wise Essay Questions - UPSC
Mains (1994 - 2020)
Quotes-based/Philosophy
·
Youth is a blunder, manhood a struggle,
old age a regret. (1994)
·
Useless life is an early death. (1994)
·
Disinterested intellectual curiosity is
the lifeblood of civilisation. (1995)
·
When money speaks, the truth is silent.
(1995)
·
Our deeds determine us, as much as we
determine our deeds. (1995)
·
Truth is lived, not taught. (1996)
·
True religion cannot be misused. (1997)
·
The pursuit of excellence. (2001)
·
Search for truth can only be a spiritual
problem. (2002)
·
The paths of glory lead but to the
grave. (2002)
·
If youth knew, if age could. (2002)
·
There is nothing either good or bad but
thinking makes it so. (2003)
·
Attitude makes habit, habit makes
character and character makes a man. (2007)
·
Discipline means success, anarchy means
ruin. (2008)
·
Geography may remain the same; history
need not. (2010)
·
Be the change you want to see in others.
(2013)
·
With greater power comes greater
responsibility. (2014)
·
Words are sharper than the two-edged
sword. (2014)
·
Lending hands to someone is better than
giving a dole. (2015)
·
Character of an institution is reflected
in its leader. (2015)
·
Quick but steady wins the race. (2015)
·
Need brings greed, if greed increases it
spoils breed. (2016)
·
Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.
(2017)
·
A good life is one inspired by love and
guided by knowledge. (2018)
·
A people that values its privileges
above its principles loses both. (2018)
·
Customary morality cannot be a guide to
modern life. (2018)
·
“The past’ is a permanent dimension of
human consciousness and values. (2018)
·
Reality does not conform to the ideal,
but confirms it. (2018)
·
Wisdom finds truth (2019)
·
Values are not what humanity is, but
what humanity ought to be (2019)
·
Best for an Individual is not necessarily
best for the society (2019)
·
Courage to accept and dedication to
improve are two keys to success (2019)
Life is long journey between human being
and being humane (2020)
·
Mindful manifesto is the catalyst to a
tranquil self (2020)
·
Ships do not sink because of water
around them , ships sink because of
water that gets into them (2020)
·
Simplicity is the ultimate
sophistication (2020)
Women
•
The new emerging women power: the ground
realities. (1995)
•
Greater political power alone will not
improve women’s plight. (1997)
•
Woman is god’s best creation. (1998)
•
Women empowerment: challenges and
prospects. (1999)
•
Empowerment alone cannot help our women.
(2001)
•
Whither women’s emancipation? (2004)
•
If women ruled the world. (2005)
•
The hand that rocks the cradle. (2005)
•
Women’s reservation bill would usher in
empowerment for women in India. (2006)
•
Managing work and home – is the Indian
working woman getting a fair deal? (2012)
•
If development is not engendered, it is
endangered. (2016)
•
Fulfillment of ‘new woman’ in India is a
myth. (2017)
•
Patriarchy is the least noticed yet the
most significant structure of social inequality (2020)
Judiciary/Social justice/Poverty
•
Judicial activism. (1997)
•
Reservation, politics and empowerment.
(1999)
•
Judicial activism and Indian democracy.
(2004)
•
Food security for sustainable national
development. (2005)
•
Justice must reach the poor. (2005)
•
The focus of health care is increasingly
getting skewed towards the ‘haves’ of our society. (2009)
•
Farming has lost the ability to be a
source of subsistence for the majority of farmers in India. (2017)
•
Poverty anywhere is a threat to
prosperity everywhere. (2018)
•
There can be no social justice without
economic prosperity but economic prosperity without social justice is
meaningless (2020)
Science & Technology
•
The modern doctor and his patients.
(1997)
•
Value-based science and education.
(1999)
•
The cyberworld: its charms and
challenges. (2000)
•
The march of science and the erosion of
human values. (2001)
•
Spirituality and scientific temper.
(2003)
•
The lure of space. (2004)
•
Increasing computerization would lead to
the creation of a dehumanized society. (2006)
•
Science and Mysticism: Are they
compatible? (2012)
•
Science and technology is the panacea
for the growth and security of the nation. (2013)
•
Technology cannot replace manpower.
(2015)
•
Cyberspace and Internet: Blessing or
curse to the human civilization in the long run. (2016)
•
Alternative technologies for a climate
change resilient India. (2018)
•
Rise of Artificial Intelligence: the
threat of jobless future or better job opportunities through reskilling and
upskilling (2019)
•
Technology as the silent factor in
international relations (2020)
Education
•
Restructuring of Indian education
system. (1995)
•
Literacy is growing very fast, but there
is no corresponding growth in education. (1996)
•
Irrelevance of the classroom. (2001)
•
Privatization of higher education in
India. (2002)
•
Modern technological education and human
values. (2002)
•
What is real education? (2005)
•
“Education for all” campaign in India:
myth or reality. (2006)
•
Independent thinking should be
encouraged right from the childhood. (2007)
•
Is an egalitarian society possible by
educating the masses? (2008)
•
Credit – based higher education system –
status, opportunities and challenges. (2011)
•
Is the growing level of competition good
for the youth? (2014)
•
Are the standardized tests good measure
of academic ability or progress? (2014)
•
Education without values, as useful as
it is, seems rather to make a man more clever devil. (2015)
•
Destiny of a nation is shaped in its
classrooms. (2017)
•
Neglect of primary health care and
education in India are reasons for its backwardness (2019)
Economic growth and development
•
Resource management in the Indian
context. (1999)
•
GDP (Gross Domestic Product) along with
GDH (Gross Domestic Happiness) would be the right indices for judging the
wellbeing of a country. (2013)
•
Was it the policy paralysis or the
paralysis of implementation which slowed the growth of our country? (2014)
•
Crisis faced in India – moral or
economic. (2015)
•
Near jobless growth in India: An anomaly
or an outcome of economic reforms. (2016)
•
Digital economy: A leveller or a source
of economic inequality. (2016)
•
Innovation is the key determinant of
economic growth and social welfare. (2016)
•
Impact of the new economic measures on
fiscal ties between the union and states in India. (2017)
•
Forests are the best case studies for
economic excellence (2022)
Economic sectors
•
Multinational corporations – saviours or
saboteurs. (1994)
•
BPO boom in India. (2007)
•
Special economic zone: boon or bane?
(2008)
•
Are our traditional handicrafts doomed
to a slow death? (2009)
•
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? (2012)
•
Tourism: Can this be the next big thing
for India? (2014)
Environment/Urbanisation
•
Urbanization is a blessing in disguise.
(1997)
•
Protection of ecology and environment is
essential for sustained economic development. (2006)
•
Urbanisation and its hazards. (2008)
•
Should a moratorium be imposed on all
fresh mining in tribal areas of the country? (2010)
•
We may brave human laws but cannot
resist natural laws. (2017)
Administration
•
Politics, bureaucracy and business –
fatal triangle (1994)
•
Politics without ethics is a disaster.
(1995)
•
The VIP cult is a bane of Indian
democracy. (1996)
•
Need for transparency in public
administration. (1996)
•
The country’s need for a better disaster
management system. (2000)
•
How should a civil servant conduct
himself? (2003)
Federalism, Decentralisation
•
The language problem in India: its past,
present and prospects. (1998)
•
Water resources should be under the
control of the central government. (2004)
•
Evaluation of panchayati raj system in
India from the point of view of eradication of power to people. (2007)
•
Is autonomy the best answer to combat
balkanization? (2007)
•
Creation of smaller states and the
consequent administrative, economic and developmental implication. (2011)
•
Cooperative federalism: Myth or reality.
(2016)
•
Water disputes between States in federal
India. (2016)
Democracy/India since independence
•
Whither Indian democracy? (1995)
•
What we have not learnt during fifty
years of independence. (1997)
•
Why should we be proud of being Indians?
(2000)
•
What have we gained from our democratic
set-up? (2001)
•
How far has democracy in India delivered
the goods? (2003)
•
National identity and patriotism. (2008)
•
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. (2012)
•
Is the colonial mentality hindering
India’s success? (2013)
•
Fifty Golds in Olympics: Can this be a
reality for India? (2014)
•
Dreams which should not let India sleep.
(2015)
Indian Culture & Society
•
The Indian society at the crossroads.
(1994)
•
New cults and godmen: a threat to
traditional religion. (1996)
•
The composite culture of India. (1998)
•
Youth culture today. (1999)
•
Modernism and our traditional
socio-ethical values. (2000)
•
Indian culture today: a myth or a
reality? (2000)
•
As civilization advances culture
declines. (2003)
•
From traditional Indian philanthropy to
the gates-buffet model-a natural progression or a paradigm shift? (2010)
•
Culture is what we are, civilization is
what we have (2020)
Media & Society
•
Misinterpretation and misuse of freedom
in India. (1998)
•
Mass media and cultural invasion. (1999)
•
Responsibility of media in a democracy.
(2002)
•
How has satellite television brought
about cultural change in Indian mindsets? (2007)
•
Role of media in good governance. (2008)
•
Does Indian cinema shape our popular
culture or merely reflect it? (2011)
•
Is sting operation an invasion on
privacy? (2014)
•
Social media is inherently a selfish
medium. (2017)
•
Biased media is a real threat to Indian
democracy (2019)
Globalisation
•
Modernisation and westernisation are not
identical concepts. (1994)
•
The world of the twenty-first century.
(1998)
•
The implications of globalization for
India. (2000)
•
My vision of an ideal world order.
(2001)
•
The masks of new imperialism. (2003)
•
Globalizations and its impact on Indian
culture. (2004)
•
Globalization would finish small-scale
industries in India. (2006)
•
‘Globalization’ vs. ‘nationalism’.
(2009)
•
Preparedness of our society for India’s
global leadership role. (2010)
International Issues
•
Restructuring of UNO reflect present
realities. (1996)
•
India’s contribution to world wisdom.
(1998)
•
India’s role in promoting ASEAN
cooperation. (2004)
•
Terrorism and world peace. (2005)
•
Importance of Indo-US nuclear agreement.
(2006)
•
Are we a ‘soft’ state? (2009)
•
Good fences make good neighbours. (2009)
•
In the Indian context, both human intelligence
and technical intelligence are crucial in combating terrorism. (2011)
•
Has the Non- Alignment Movement (NAM)
lost its relevance in a multipolar world. (2017)
•
Management of Indian border disputes – a
complex task. (2018)
•
South Asian societies are woven not
around the state, but around their plural cultures and plural identities (2019)
•
Technology as the silent factor in
international relations (2020)
