PSIR Optional Question Paper 2019

The PSIR Optional Question Paper 2019 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 2019 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 2019 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 (2019)

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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) Resurgence of political theory. 10 · Model answer
   (b) Pluralist theory of the State. 10 · Model answer
   (c) End of Ideology debate. 10 · Model answer
   (d) Deliberative democracy. 10 · Model answer
   (e) M. K. Gandhi’s concept of Swaraj. 10 · Model answer
2. (a) Explain Aristotle’s critique of Plato’s Idealism. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Examine communitarian perspectives on justice. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Compare negative and positive concepts of liberty. 15 · Model answer
3. (a) According to Gramsci, ‘hegemony is primarily based on the organisation of consent.’ Comment. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Discuss Kautilya’s views on the elements of the State. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Distinguish between liberal feminism and radical feminism. 15 · Model answer
4. (a) Critically examine Hannah Arendt’s conceptual triad of labour, work and action. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Discuss the doctrine of ‘rights as trumps’. 15 · Model answer
   (c) What is the contemporary relevance of Marxism? 15 · Model answer

Section ‘B’: Indian Government and Politics

5. Answer the following in about 150 words each: 10×5=50
   (a) Unity and integrity of India was perhaps the single uppermost factor in the minds of the Constitution makers. Comment. 10 · Model answer
   (b) Dalit perspective on Indian national movement. Discuss. 10 · Model answer
   (c) Despite constitutional mandate the Inter-State Council has not come of age. Discuss. 10 · Model answer
   (d) Political decentralization has not been matched by administrative decentralization at the grass roots level. Explain. 10 · Model answer
   (e) Write short note on the significance of Chipko Movement. 10 · Model answer
6. (a) National movement in India was anti-imperialist and increasingly radical in its socio-economic and political programmes. Discuss. 20 · Model answer
   (b) What has been the political fallout of the Green Revolution in India? Explain. 15 · Model answer
   (c) The changing socio-economic profile of our legislators does not augur well for the health of Indian democracy. Comment. 15 · Model answer
7. (a) Development has overshadowed the influence of caste in electoral behaviour in recent elections. Discuss. 20 · Model answer
   (b) The Comptroller and Auditor-General of India enhances the accountability of the Government and serves as the watchdog of the finances of the Government. Explain. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Discuss, in brief, the role of the National Commission for women. Do you think it is a toothless organization? 15 · Model answer
8. (a) “The basic structure doctrine is implicit in the Indian Constitution; the Supreme Court has only given it an explicit form.” Comment. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has emerged as the most powerful institution in India. Discuss. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Comment on the relevance of the Directive Principles of State Policy in an era of liberalization and globalization. 15 · Model answer

PSIR Optional Question Paper-II (2019)

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 in about 150 words each: 10×5=50
   (a) Discuss the utility of Nuclear Deterrence Theory in the context of the recent standoff between India and Pakistan. 10 · Model answer
   (b) Write a brief note on the 17th NAM Summit in Venezuela. 10 · Model answer
   (c) In what way does the predominance of the USA in the UN funding affect its decision-making? 10 · Model answer
   (d) Evaluate the role of BIMSTEC in multi-sectoral technical and economic cooperation. 10 · Model answer
   (e) Do you think that sustainable development goals are really attainable by 2030? 10 · Model answer
2. (a) Examine the significance of the comparative method in political analysis. Discuss its limitations. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Explain the reasons for low voter turnout in democratic countries with suitable examples. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Evaluate the role of the International Court of Justice in inter-State disputes. 15 · Model answer
3. (a) Explain the relevance of the Marxist approach in the context of globalization. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Identify the benefits of a multi-polar world. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Discuss the importance of personal data protection in the context of human rights. 15 · Model answer
4. (a) How are the rising powers challenging the USA and Western dominance in the IMF and the World Bank? 20 · Model answer
   (b) Write an essay on ‘New Social Movements’ in developing countries. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Is democracy promotion in developing countries a feasible idea? 15 · Model answer

Section ‘B’: India and the World

5. Answer the following in about 150 words each: 10×5=50
   (a) Examine the role of ‘parliamentary diplomacy’ in India’s foreign policy. 10 · Model answer
   (b) Compare and contrast Non-alignment 1.0 with Non-alignment 2.0. 10 · Model answer
   (c) How is India pursuing her foreign policy objectives through the IBSA Dialogue Forum (India, Brazil and South Africa)? 10 · Model answer
   (d) How is India responding to the idea of Indo-Pacific? 10 · Model answer
   (e) “The growing closeness between India and Israel will strengthen the cause of Palestine.” Comment. 10 · Model answer
6. (a) Describe briefly China’s ‘One Belt One Road (OBOR)’ Initiative and analyze India’s major concerns. 20 · Model answer
   (b) What are the current issues in Brahmaputra River water sharing between India and China? 15 · Model answer
   (c) Analyze the recent trends in India’s role in the UN peacekeeping operations. 15 · Model answer
7. (a) Examine the increasing significance of maritime security in India’s foreign policy. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Write a brief note on India’s interests in West Asia. 15 · Model answer
   (c) How is the current standoff between the USA and Iran affecting India’s energy security? 15 · Model answer
8. (a) Evaluate India’s vision of a new world order. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Critically examine India’s position on South China Sea Dispute. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Given the recent developments in the region, do you think that there is a need to change India’s ‘No First Use (NFU)’ nuclear policy? 15 · Model answer

PSIR Optional 2019 Paper Analysis

Paper-I: syllabus-wise mapping

What stood out in Paper-I

• Thinkers carried every 20-mark slot in Section A. Aristotle’s critique of Plato in 2(a), Gramsci on hegemony as organised consent in 3(a) and Arendt’s triad of labour, work and action in 4(a) were the three long questions.
• Arendt’s vita activa appeared for the first time. Earlier Arendt questions (2003, 2012, 2014, 2016) dealt with her political philosophy, the ‘political’, power and totalitarian ideology; 4(a) was the first built on labour, work and action.
• Familiar concepts returned in near-identical form. 3(c) on liberal versus radical feminism echoes a 2012 short note, 1(c) on the End of Ideology debate follows 2001 and 2011, and 3(b) on Kautilya’s elements of the State follows the saptanga questions of 2007 and 2013.
• Section B was weighted towards institutions. Seven of its fourteen parts concerned constitutional or statutory bodies and doctrines: the constitution-makers’ priorities in 5(a), the Inter-State Council in 5(c), the CAG in 7(b), the NCW in 7(c), basic structure in 8(a), the PMO in 8(b) and the DPSP in 8(c).
• Two questions demanded a judgement on recent politics. 7(a) asked whether development had overshadowed caste in electoral behaviour and 6(c) whether the changing socio-economic profile of legislators bodes ill for democracy; both need evidence from recent elections, not only textbook categories.

Paper-II: syllabus-wise mapping

What stood out in Paper-II

• The news cycle shaped the short answers in Section A. 1(a) tied nuclear deterrence to the recent India–Pakistan standoff, 1(b) asked about the 17th NAM Summit in Venezuela and 1(c) about US funding of the UN, so 150-word answers needed dates and facts as well as theory.
• Comparative politics took three parts. 2(a) on the comparative method and its limitations, 2(b) on low voter turnout in democracies and 4(b) on new social movements in developing countries all came from the comparative politics side of the syllabus.
• China carried 50 marks in Section B. 6(a) on OBOR and India’s concerns, 6(b) on Brahmaputra water sharing and 8(b) on the South China Sea together made up a third of the section; OBOR followed a 2017 Belt and Road question and Brahmaputra had appeared in 2011.
• Security was examined from both ends. 1(a) asked about deterrence theory and 8(c) whether India should revisit No First Use, while 7(a) on maritime security and 5(d) on the Indo-Pacific widened security beyond the nuclear question.
• West Asia appeared three times. 5(e) on India–Israel ties and the Palestinian cause, 7(b) on India’s interests in West Asia and 7(c) on the US–Iran standoff and India’s energy security.

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 2019 paper

Solved Answers to the PSIR 2019 Paper

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

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