PSIR Optional Question Paper 2020

The PSIR Optional Question Paper 2020 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 2020 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 2020 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 (2020)

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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) Post colonial theory of the state 10 · Model answer
   (b) Equality of opportunity 10 · Model answer
   (c) Liberalism as a revolutionary idea 10 · Model answer
   (d) Ambedkar’s ideas on constitutionalism 10 · Model answer
   (e) Machiavelli’s secularism 10 · Model answer
2. (a) Make a comparative assessment of Greek perspective of Justice with the Rawlsian concept of Justice. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Representative democracy … means the people as a body must be able to control the general direction of government policy. (J. S. Mill). Comment. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Assess the significance of right to property in political theory. 15 · Model answer
3. (a) Explicate the ideological components of Gandhism. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Examine the nature and meaning of power. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Explain the sources of ancient Indian political thought. 15 · Model answer
4. (a) Trace the evolution of Western Political Thought from ancient to contemporary period. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Discuss the significance of a normative approach to Political theory. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Discuss Karl Marx’s concept of class. 15 · Model answer

Section ‘B’: Indian Government and Politics

5. Answer the following in about 150 words each: 10×5=50
   (a) Role of socialists in Indian National Movement 10 · Model answer
   (b) Indian constitution makers’ concerns on social inequality 10 · Model answer
   (c) Right to constitutional remedies in India 10 · Model answer
   (d) Judicial overreach in India 10 · Model answer
   (e) Mechanism for settling inter-state disputes 10 · Model answer
6. (a) Examine the role and functioning of the Election Commission of India and the Comptroller and Auditor General in the last two decades. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Trace the role of militant and revolutionary movements in Indian national movement. 15 · Model answer
   (c) To what extent has 73rd and 74th amendments of the Indian Constitution enhanced women’s empowerment? 15 · Model answer
7. (a) Does the functioning of the federalism in India tend to make it appear as a unitary state in practice? 20 · Model answer
   (b) Has the thrust of government tilted towards executive in contemporary Indian Politics? Give your arguments. 15 · Model answer
   (c) ‘Liberalisation of Indian Economy has not been accompanied with adequate reforms’. Comment. 15 · Model answer
8. (a) To what extent has the inadequate intra-party democracy affected the functioning of Indian Democracy? 20 · Model answer
   (b) Examine the role of religion in Indian Electoral Politics in the contemporary times. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Examine the nature of the civil liberty movement in India. 15 · Model answer

PSIR Optional Question Paper-II (2020)

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 subject matter of comparative politics. Outline the limitations of comparative political analysis. 10 · Model answer
   (b) Analyze the contribution of liberal democratic principles in the democratization of Indian polity. 10 · Model answer
   (c) Has the increased participation of the underprivileged in the political process of the developing societies strengthened democracy or created political chaos and conflict? Comment. 10 · Model answer
   (d) Critically examine the impact of the process of globalization from the perspective of the countries of the Global South. 10 · Model answer
   (e) What are the core assumptions of idealism as an approach to study International Relations? Explain its continuing relevance in peace building. 10 · Model answer
2. (a) Explain the concept of balance of power. What are the various techniques of maintaining balance of power? 20 · Model answer
   (b) Enumerate the challenges in the operation of the principles related to collective security in the UN Charter. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Critically analyze the implications of Sino-American strategic rivalry for the South and South-East Asian region. 15 · Model answer
3. (a) Discuss the ways to strengthen the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to enable it to address the challenges faced by the developing countries. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Critically evaluate the role of the United States of America in the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement mechanism and its implications for the future of the WTO. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Explain the significance and importance of the demand raised by the developing countries for a New International Economic Order (NIEO). Are they likely to achieve their objectives of NIEO in foreseeable future? 15 · Model answer
4. (a) Discuss the significance and urgency of the UN Security Council reforms. Explain the relevance of the reform proposals made by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres for the developing countries. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Critically analyze the role of ASEAN in the promotion of regional peace and security through economic cooperation and trade. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Examine the role of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and other major efforts by the UN to address the global environmental crisis. 15 · Model answer

Section ‘B’: India and the World

5. Answer the following in about 150 words each: 10×5=50
   (a) Describe the structure and function of the National Security Council of India. What role does it play in the formulation of Indian foreign policy? 10 · Model answer
   (b) Outline the reasons of low volume of trade in the SAARC region. 10 · Model answer
   (c) Analyze the impact of hydropolitics on Indo-Bangladesh relations. 10 · Model answer
   (d) Discuss the future prospects of Indo-Nepal relations in the context of the recent publication of new Nepalese map wrongly claiming Indian territory. 10 · Model answer
   (e) How does cross-border terrorism impede the achievements of peace and security in South Asia? 10 · Model answer
6. (a) How do the guiding principles of India-Africa relations seek to enhance harmony and mutual cooperation between India and Africa? 20 · Model answer
   (b) What are the notable features of the recently concluded pact or the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) between India and Japan? How is it likely to address the security concerns of India? 15 · Model answer
   (c) Discuss the significance of Indo-US strategic partnership and its implications for India’s security and national defence. 15 · Model answer
7. (a) Explain the defence and foreign policy options of India to address the challenges emerging out of the current India-China standoff at the Line of Actual Control (LAC). 20 · Model answer
   (b) Explain the importance of India’s claim for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Discuss the efficacy of India’s ‘no first use’ policy (nuclear weapons) in the context of the evolving strategic challenges from its neighbours. 15 · Model answer
8. (a) “The war in Afghanistan is crucial from the point of view of India’s national security. If the Americans withdraw and Jihadis emerge with a sense of triumphalism, India will face increasing onslaught of terrorism.” Comment. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Identify the key sectors of cooperation between India and Israel since 2014. Examine their significance in strengthening the bilateral ties between the two countries. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Critically examine the role of India in shaping the emerging world order. 15 · Model answer

PSIR Optional 2020 Paper Analysis

Paper-I: syllabus-wise mapping

What stood out in Paper-I

• Six thinkers were named in Section A. Machiavelli 1(e), Ambedkar 1(d), Rawls set against the Greeks 2(a), J. S. Mill 2(b), Gandhi 3(a) and Marx 4(c) — thinker-wise preparation paid more than concept notes alone.
• A survey question replaced a single-thinker essay. 4(a) asked for the evolution of Western political thought from the ancient to the contemporary period, which needs a tight chronology from Plato and Aristotle to Rawls rather than depth on one figure.
• Familiar thinkers came with unfamiliar angles. 1(e) asked for Machiavelli’s secularism, building on the 2018 question on his views on religion and politics; 1(c) treated liberalism as a revolutionary idea; 2(a) required a comparison, not a summary, of Greek and Rawlsian justice.
• Section B kept returning to the concentration of power. 6(a) on the Election Commission and CAG over two decades, 7(a) on federalism working as a unitary state, 7(b) on the tilt towards the executive, 5(d) on judicial overreach and 8(a) on intra-party democracy can all be answered with a shared stock of examples.
• The national movement was examined through its non-Gandhian strands. 5(a) asked about the socialists and 6(b) about militant and revolutionary movements, while 5(b) on the constitution makers’ concerns on social inequality and 8(c) on the civil liberty movement rewarded a social-justice reading of Indian politics.

Paper-II: syllabus-wise mapping

What stood out in Paper-II

• Section B was written from 2020 headlines. 7(a) on the LAC standoff, 5(d) on Nepal’s new map, 6(b) on the recently concluded India–Japan ACSA and 8(a) on a US withdrawal from Afghanistan all needed up-to-date facts, not just background.
• South Asia took four of the five short answers. 5(b) SAARC’s low intra-regional trade, 5(c) hydropolitics with Bangladesh, 5(d) Nepal and 5(e) cross-border terrorism, with 5(a) on the National Security Council and foreign policy completing Question 5.
• Section A theory stayed close to the textbook. 1(a) on the subject matter and limits of comparative politics, 1(e) on the core assumptions of idealism, 2(a) on balance of power and its techniques (last asked in 2016) and 2(b) on collective security under the UN Charter were definitional questions.
• A Global South thread ran through both sections. 1(d) globalisation from the Global South’s perspective, 3(a) strengthening NAM, 3(c) NIEO, 4(a) the relevance of Guterres’s Security Council reform proposals for developing countries and 6(a) the guiding principles of India–Africa relations.
• Staple India-and-the-world questions returned. 7(b) on India’s claim to a permanent seat (also asked in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2018), 7(c) on ‘no first use’ a year after the 2019 question on whether to change it, and 8(b) on India–Israel cooperation since 2014.

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 2020 paper

Solved Answers to the PSIR 2020 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

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