PSIR Optional Question Paper 2023

The PSIR Optional Question Paper 2023 for the UPSC Civil Services Mains examination is reproduced below in full: Political Science and International Relations Paper-I and Paper-II, Section A and Section B, with the marks for every question as UPSC printed them. Each question links to its solved model answer, and after the papers you will find a syllabus-wise mapping of the 2023 questions, the thinkers who were tested and what the paper signals for your preparation. For every other year and the full topic-wise list, see PSIR Optional question papers (year-wise and topic-wise).

Want the answers too? All 56 questions of the 2023 paper are solved in LotusArise PSIR Optional PYQ Solutions — tap Model answer next to any question below to open it.

PSIR Optional Question Paper-I (2023)

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Time allowed: three hours · Maximum marks: 250 · Eight questions in two sections; Question 1 and Question 5 are compulsory, and three more are to be attempted with at least one from each section.

Section ‘A’: Political Theory and Indian Politics

1. Comment on the following in about 150 words each: 10×5=50
   (a) Normative approach in Political Science 10 · Model answer
   (b) Multicultural perspective on rights 10 · Model answer
   (c) State of Nature as State of War (Hobbes) 10 · Model answer
   (d) Foucault’s concept of power 10 · Model answer
   (e) Decline of political theory 10 · Model answer
2. (a) Success of contemporary democracies lies in the State limiting its own power. Explain. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Rawls’ idea of the ‘liberal self’ is too individualistic. Explain, in this context, the communitarian critique of Rawls’ theory of justice. 15 · Model answer
   (c) ‘Credo of Relevance’ in post-behaviouralism advocates the importance of action science. Analyze. 15 · Model answer
3. (a) Fascism displays an ambivalent stance towards parliamentary democracy. Explain. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Affirmative Action Policies draw as much strong criticism as strong support. Analyze this statement in the context of equality. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Eurocentrism is both the target and the motive force of the post-colonial political theory. Discuss. 15 · Model answer
4. (a) Buddhist thought on Dhamma facilitates the emancipation of political action. Explain. 20 · Model answer
   (b) “The legal subordination of one sex to another is wrong in itself, and now one of the chief hindrances to human development.” (J. S. Mill). Comment. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Sri Aurobindo’s idea of Swaraj has deep significance in the Indian social, political and cultural history. Analyze. 15 · Model answer

Section ‘B’: Indian Government and Politics

5. Comment on the following in about 150 words each: 10×5=50
   (a) Imprint of the British Constitution on the Indian Constitution 10 · Model answer
   (b) Environmentalism of the poor 10 · Model answer
   (c) Functions of District Planning Committee 10 · Model answer
   (d) Satyagraha and Indian Nationalism 10 · Model answer
   (e) National Commission for Minorities 10 · Model answer
6. (a) Discuss the major provisions of the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act. Do you think that the Act remains an ‘unfulfilled dream’? Argue your case. 20 · Model answer
   (b) How does NITI Aayog as a ‘policy think tank with shared vision’ visualize the reorganization of planning in India? Justify your answer. 15 · Model answer
   (c) The Constitution of India is the ‘cornerstone of a nation’. (Granville Austin). Analyze. 15 · Model answer
7. (a) Does the actual working of Indian federalism conform to the centralizing tendencies in Indian polity? Give reasons for your answer. 20 · Model answer
   (b) The main goal of the Fundamental Duties in the Indian Constitution is to generate civic responsibility among the citizens. Explain. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Dr. Ambedkar’s clarion call, “Educate, Agitate and Organize”, strategizes the Dalit movement towards achieving civil liberty. Discuss. 15 · Model answer
8. (a) The rise of caste politics is to be attributed to both regional aspirations and electoral manifestations. Comment. 20 · Model answer
   (b) The decade 1989–1999 has created an epochal shift in the Indian party system at the national level. Identify the major national trends in the party system during this era. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Do you agree that over the years the Supreme Court has become a forum for policy evolution? Justify your answer. 15 · Model answer

PSIR Optional Question Paper-II (2023)

Time allowed: three hours · Maximum marks: 250 · Eight questions in two sections; Question 1 and Question 5 are compulsory, and three more are to be attempted with at least one from each section.

Section ‘A’: Comparative Politics and International Relations

1. Answer the following questions in about 150 words each: 10×5=50
   (a) What are the crucial functions of empirical political theory in Comparative Politics? 10 · Model answer
   (b) What are the difficulties faced by a political theorist in comparing the States? 10 · Model answer
   (c) How does democratic politics construct citizenship? 10 · Model answer
   (d) What is the structure and functions of International Court of Justice? 10 · Model answer
   (e) Discuss the structure and functions of UN Security Council. 10 · Model answer
2. (a) Discuss the relevance of the normative ethos of the Non-Aligned Movement in magnifying India’s soft power in pursuit of her national interest. 20 · Model answer
   (b) In what ways does the functionalist approach in International relations help in maintaining peace and order in global politics? 15 · Model answer
   (c) How does the regime change and political crisis in Myanmar threaten regional security and peace? 15 · Model answer
3. (a) “During the Cold War, the Non-Aligned Movement tried to become a ‘Third force’ in World Politics, but failed because it was too large and unwieldy.” Discuss. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Account for the rise of European Union as a highly influential regional organisation. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Narrate the various ways in which rapid environmental degradation is posing a serious threat to human security. Illustrate your answer with suitable examples. 15 · Model answer
4. (a) Critically examine the impact of Globalisation on the developing countries of the world. 20 · Model answer
   (b) What do you mean by offensive and defensive realism? 15 · Model answer
   (c) Discuss the various constraints on American hegemony today. Which of these are likely to become more prominent in the future? 15 · Model answer

Section ‘B’: India and the World

5. Answer the following questions in about 150 words each: 10×5=50
   (a) Explain the major features of India’s Foreign Policy in the 21st century. 10 · Model answer
   (b) What are the reasons for lack of ‘regionness’ in South Asia? 10 · Model answer
   (c) Why is the compromise reached at WTO regarding the Covid-19 vaccine manufacturing not a Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) waiver? 10 · Model answer
   (d) Why do ethnic conflicts and insurgencies continue to remain major impediments to regional co-operation in South Asia? 10 · Model answer
   (e) What diplomatic steps has India taken to articulate the interests of the Global South in International Politics? 10 · Model answer
6. (a) Arms trade, economic ties and congruent geo-political interests are no longer the three pillars of India – Russia relationship in the emerging strategic context. Comment. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Discuss the importance of India’s role in UN peacekeeping operations as a ground for its claim to a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) performs an important role in India’s strategic balancing act to withstand the dominance of China in Asia. Discuss. 15 · Model answer
7. (a) “India’s Nuclear policy is deeply influenced by its cultural beliefs and the pragmatic approach of its foreign policy.” Discuss. 20 · Model answer
   (b) What steps has India taken to regain its foothold in Afghanistan since the Taliban has taken over the country in August 2021? 15 · Model answer
   (c) What are the challenges and limitations in India – Iran relations? 15 · Model answer
8. (a) What are the external determinants of the Foreign Policy of a State? 20 · Model answer
   (b) Discuss the significance of “West Asia Quad” in the light of India’s ‘Look West’ policy. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Discuss the major drivers of India’s interests in Africa. 15 · Model answer

PSIR Optional 2023 Paper Analysis

Paper-I: syllabus-wise mapping

What stood out in Paper-I

• Named thinkers carried Section A. Hobbes 1(c), Foucault 1(d), Rawls and his communitarian critics 2(b), J. S. Mill’s quotation on the subordination of women 4(b) and Sri Aurobindo’s Swaraj 4(c) meant five of the fourteen Section A sub-parts hinged on a specific thinker.
• The discipline itself was examined three times. Normative approach 1(a), decline of political theory 1(e) and Easton’s ‘Credo of Relevance’ 2(c) all tested the history of political theory; the decline question last appeared in 2018 and the normative approach in 2020.
• Concept questions were framed as tensions. Fascism’s ‘ambivalent stance’ towards parliamentary democracy 3(a), affirmative action drawing ‘as much strong criticism as strong support’ 3(b) and Eurocentrism as both ‘target and motive force’ 3(c) all demanded a two-sided argument, not a description.
• Urban local government was asked twice. The 74th Amendment as an ‘unfulfilled dream’ 6(a) and the functions of the District Planning Committee 5(c) sat beside NITI Aayog 6(b), Fundamental Duties 7(b) and the Supreme Court as a ‘forum for policy evolution’ 8(c).
• Politics in practice closed the paper. Ambedkar’s ‘Educate, Agitate and Organize’ 7(c), environmentalism of the poor 5(b), caste politics 8(a) and the 1989–1999 shift in the party system 8(b) tested movements and electoral change rather than constitutional text.

Paper-II: syllabus-wise mapping

What stood out in Paper-II

• Comparative politics was confined to short answers. Empirical political theory 1(a), the difficulty of comparing states 1(b) and democratic citizenship 1(c) were the only comparative questions; no long question was set on the area.
• NAM appeared twice in Section A. Its normative ethos as a source of India’s soft power 2(a) and its failed bid to be a ‘Third force’ 3(a) asked for opposite verdicts on the same movement, so candidates needed both its achievements and its limits.
• IR theory was tested directly. Offensive and defensive realism 4(b) and the functionalist route to peace 2(b) were set alongside constraints on American hegemony 4(c), a theme previously asked in 2013 as the challenges to American hegemony.
• Section B tracked events after 2021. India’s steps in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover of August 2021 7(b), the WTO Covid-19 vaccine compromise 5(c), the West Asia Quad 8(b) and the India–Russia relationship minus its ‘three pillars’ 6(a) all required recent material.
• The Global South and South Asia were each asked twice. India’s diplomacy for the Global South 5(e) and its interests in Africa 8(c) sat beside ‘regionness’ 5(b) and ethnic conflict as an impediment to cooperation 5(d) in South Asia; the Africa question closely echoes 2021’s ‘drivers of India’s new interest in Africa’.

Each question is counted once, under the syllabus unit its model answer is filed in. The marks show how much of the 400 marks set in each paper came from a unit; a candidate attempts five questions worth 250.

Thinkers and scholars in the PSIR 2023 paper

Solved Answers to the PSIR 2023 Paper

Preparing the syllabus from scratch? Start with the PSIR Optional hub for notes, the official PSIR syllabus and unit-wise PYQs.

PSIR Optional question papers: other years

• PSIR Optional Question Paper 2026
• PSIR Optional Question Paper 2025
• PSIR Optional Question Paper 2024
• PSIR Optional Question Paper 2022
• PSIR Optional Question Paper 2021
• PSIR Optional Question Paper 2020
• PSIR Optional Question Paper 2019
• PSIR Optional Question Paper 2018
• PSIR Optional Question Paper 2017
• PSIR Optional Question Paper 2016
• PSIR Optional Question Paper 2015
• PSIR Optional Question Paper 2014
• PSIR Optional Question Paper 2013

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