{"id":240,"date":"2026-02-18T16:31:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T11:01:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/?p=240"},"modified":"2026-03-23T11:32:46","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T06:02:46","slug":"upsc-psir-optional-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/upsc-psir-optional-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"UPSC PSIR Optional 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

PAPER -1 <\/strong><\/p>\n

Q1. Comment on the following in about 150 words: (50 marks)<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Feminist critique of the State (10 marks)<\/li>\n
  2. Affirmative action (10 marks)<\/li>\n
  3. Equality of outcome as a political idea (10 marks)<\/li>\n
  4. Tools of legitimation of the State (10 marks)<\/li>\n
  5. S. Mill’s ideas on women suffrage (10 marks)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Q2.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. How has Rawls enriched the idea of justice in liberalism? (20 marks)<\/li>\n
    2. Examine the importance of behavioural approach in political theory. What led to its decline? (15 marks)<\/li>\n
    3. Can there be universal conception of human rights? Give your arguments. (15 marks)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Q3.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Explain the Aristotelian view of politics. To what extent do you think it has contributed to the development of modern-day constitutional democracies? (20 marks)<\/li>\n
      2. \u201cWhen a nation becomes devoid of arts and learning, it invites poverty.” (Sir Syed Ahmad Khan). In the light of this statement, assess the role of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as a reformer in modern India. (15 marks)<\/li>\n
      3. “Political ideology is primarily concerned with the allocation and utilization of power.” Comment. (15 marks)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Q4.<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Do you think that the Buddhist traditions have lent greater ethical foundation to the ancient Indian political thought? Give your arguments. (20 marks)<\/li>\n
        2. Marx’s concept of ‘alienation’ is an essential part of the reality in capitalism. Explain. (15 marks)<\/li>\n
        3. “Free and fair deliberation is key to the foundation of democracy.” Explain. (15 marks)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Q5. Answer the following in about 150 words: (50 marks)<\/p>\n

            \n
          1. “The Constitution of India is a product of a historical process, rich with constitutional antecedents.” Comment. (10 marks)<\/li>\n
          2. “The Constitution makers faced the great task of forging a common national identity in the face of unparalleled social and cultural diversity in India.” Comment. (10 marks)<\/li>\n
          3. Mention the founding principles that define India’s Constitution. (10 marks)<\/li>\n
          4. Analyze the Marxist perspective of the nature of Indian National Movement. (10 marks)<\/li>\n
          5. Underline the significance of the first constitutional amendment. (10 marks)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Q6.<\/p>\n

              \n
            1. “Constitutionally reconciling the Fundamental Rights with the Directive Principles of State Policy has led to frequent amendments of the Constitution and judicial interventions.” Comment. (20 marks)<\/li>\n
            2. The role of the President of India becomes more significant during a minority government and a coalition government. Explain. (15 marks)<\/li>\n
            3. Do you think that despite having significant limitations the Panchayati Raj Institutions have strengthened the process of democratic decentralization? Give your views. (15 marks)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              Q7.<\/p>\n

                \n
              1. “The Indian party system is shaped by a complex interaction of the country’s federal structure, electoral system and social cleavages.” Explain. (20 marks)<\/li>\n
              2. Do you think that there has been a gradual shift in the basis on which the demands for the creation of new States have been raised in different regions of India? Explain. (15 marks)<\/li>\n
              3. What explains India’s modest improvements in social development outcomes even as the rate of growth has accelerated since the initiation of economic reforms? (15 marks)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                Q8.<\/p>\n

                  \n
                1. “The success of electoral democracy can partly be attributed to the status and role of the Election Commission of India.” Explain. (20 marks)<\/li>\n
                2. Examine the evolution of the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of India as a constitutional court. (15 marks)<\/li>\n
                3. Explain how caste as a social category is also becoming a political category in the democratic politics of India. (15 marks)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                   <\/p>\n

                  PAPER -2 <\/strong><\/p>\n

                  Q1. Answer the following in about 150 words: (50 marks)<\/p>\n

                    \n
                  1. Discuss the political economy approach to the comparative analysis of politics. (10 marks)<\/li>\n
                  2. “Political parties and pressure groups are sine qua non of democracy.” Comment. (10 marks)<\/li>\n
                  3. “Marxist approach to the study of international relations has lost its relevance in the post-cold war era.” Comment. (10 marks)<\/li>\n
                  4. What measures have been undertaken by the United Nations for its reforms? (10 marks)<\/li>\n
                  5. Discuss the five proposals made by India in the recent COP-26 conference held in Glasgow. (10 marks)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                    Q2.<\/p>\n

                      \n
                    1. “The post-colonial state was thought of an entity that stood outside and above society as an autonomous agency.” Explain. (20 marks)<\/li>\n
                    2. Discuss the emergence of neo-realism and its basic tenets. (15 marks)<\/li>\n
                    3. What is ‘complex interdependence’? Discuss the role of transnational actors in the international system. (15 marks)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                      Q3.<\/p>\n

                        \n
                      1. Explain the impact of electoral systems and cleavages in shaping party systems with reference to developing countries. (20 marks)<\/li>\n
                      2. What is globalisation? Why is there an intense debate about globalisation and its consequences? (15 marks)<\/li>\n
                      3. Critically examine the decline of the United States of America as a hegemon and its implications for the changing international political order. (15 marks)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                        Q4.<\/p>\n

                          \n
                        1. The modernization thesis asserts that affluence breeds stable democracy. How do you explain the success of India being the world’s largest democracy as an exceptional case? (20 marks)<\/li>\n
                        2. Explain the success of ASEAN as a regional organisation. (15 marks)<\/li>\n
                        3. Explain India’s relations with the European Union in the context of Brexit. (15 marks)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                          Q5. Answer the following in about 150 words: (50 marks)<\/p>\n

                            \n
                          1. Discuss the strategic implications of India’s ‘Look East Policy’ transforming into ‘Act East Policy’. (10 marks)<\/li>\n
                          2. Explain the philosophical foundations of India’s foreign policy. (10 marks)<\/li>\n
                          3. Explain India’s position on the waiver of intellectual property rights on COVID-19 vaccines in WTO. (10 marks)<\/li>\n
                          4. Write about the growing significance of QUAD. (10 marks)<\/li>\n
                          5. How does the recent takeover of Afghanistan by Taliban impact India’s strategic interests? (10 marks)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                            Q6.<\/p>\n

                              \n
                            1. “Non-alignment was little more than a rational strategy on the part of a materially weak India to maximise its interests with a bipolar distribution of global power.” Comment. (20 marks)<\/li>\n
                            2. Examine the Geo-strategic points of contention in the bilateral relationship between India and China. (15 marks)<\/li>\n
                            3. Write a brief analysis of the ethnic conflicts and cross-border migrations along India-Myanmar and India-Bangladesh borders. (15 marks)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                              Q7.<\/p>\n

                                \n
                              1. Why South Asia is considered as the world’s politically and economically least integrated region? Explain. (20 marks)<\/li>\n
                              2. How do the constituent states influence the foreign policy making process in India? (15 marks)<\/li>\n
                              3. Examine the evolution of India’s role in the global nuclear order. (15 marks)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                                Q8.<\/p>\n

                                  \n
                                1. ‘Relations between India and Russia are rooted in history, mutual trust and mutually beneficial cooperation.’ Discuss. (20 marks)<\/li>\n
                                2. Discuss the \u2018Sustainable Development Goals’ as set by the United Nations. (15 marks)<\/li>\n
                                3. Identify the drivers of India’s new interest in Africa. (15 marks)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                                  PAPER -1 Q1. Comment on the following in about 150 words: (50 marks) Feminist critique of the State (10 marks) Affirmative action (10 marks) Equality of outcome as a political idea (10 marks) Tools of legitimation of the State (10 marks) S. Mill’s ideas on women suffrage (10 marks) Q2. How has Rawls enriched the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pyqs"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=240"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":284,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240\/revisions\/284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}