2022 UPSC CSE Mains General Studies Paper 1 PYQs

The UPSC Civil Services Mains 2022 General Studies Paper 1 is a critical part of the examination, focusing on key subjects such as Indian History, World History, Geography, and Social Issues. In History, the focus spans ancient, medieval, and modern Indian history, along with themes of post-independence consolidation and world history events like industrialization, colonization, and revolutions. Geography covers physical geography of the world, distribution of key natural resources, and climate change impacts, while Social Issues delve into topics like poverty, urbanization, caste, and gender inequality.

This post provides a comprehensive list of Previous Year Questions (PYQs), helping aspirants analyze the exam pattern, understand syllabus coverage, and prepare strategically for future UPSC Mains. Practicing these 2022 General Studies Paper 1 PYQs will enable candidates to strengthen their grasp of important concepts and improve their answer-writing skills.

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History

1. How will you explain that medieval Indian temple sculptures represent the social life of those days ?
2. Discuss the significance of the lion and bull figures in Indian Mythology, art and architecture.
3. Disuss the main contributions of Gupta period and Chola period to Indian heritage and culture.
4. Why was there a sudden spurt in famines in colonial India since the mid-eighteenth century ? Give Reasons.
5. Why did the armies of the British East India Company mostly comprising of Indian soldiers win consistently against more numerous and better equipped armies of the then Indian rulers? Give reasons.
6. The political and administrative reorganization of states and territories has been a continuous ongoing process since the mid-nineteenth century. Discuss with examples.

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Social Science

1. Given the diversities among tribal communities in India, in which specific contexts should they be considered as a single category?
2. Are tolerance, assimilation and pluralism the key elements in the making of an Indian form of secularism ? Justify your answer.
3. Explore and evaluate the impact of ‘Work From Home’ on family relationships.

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Geography

1. Describe the characteristics and types of primary rocks.
2. Troposphere is a very significant atmosphereic layer that determines weather process. How?
3. Mention the significance of straits and isthmus in international trade?
4. What are the forces that influence ocean currents? Describe their role in fishing industry of the world.
5. Discuss the meaning of colour-coded weather warnings for cyclone prone area given by India Meteorological Department.
6. Discuss the natural resource potentials of ‘Deccan Trap’.
7. Elucidate the relationship between globalization and new technology in a world of scare resources, with special reference to India.
8. Describing the distribution of rubber producing countries, indicate the major environmental issues faced by them.
9. How is the growth of Tier 2 cities related to the raise of a new middle class with an emphasis on the culture of consumption?