PSIR Optional Question Paper 2018

The PSIR Optional Question Paper 2018 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 2018 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 2018 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 (2018)

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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) John Stuart Mill is a ‘reluctant democrat’. – C. L. Wayper 10 · Model answer
   (b) Decline of Political Theory 10 · Model answer
   (c) Distributive Justice 10 · Model answer
   (d) Substantive Democracy 10 · Model answer
   (e) “Nothing against the State, nothing over it, nothing beyond it.” – Mussolini 10 · Model answer
2. (a) Critically examine the neo-liberal theory of State. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Analyse John Rawls justification of discrimination to achieve the goals of Justice. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Equality means fair treatment rather than equal treatment. Comment. 15 · Model answer
3. (a) What do you understand by three generations of Human Rights? 20 · Model answer
   (b) Critically examine Macpherson’s views on Democracy. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Explain the relationship between power, authority and legitimacy. 15 · Model answer
4. (a) John Locke is the father of liberalism. Explain. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Discuss Ambedkar’s ideas on ‘annihilation of caste’. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Critically examine Machiavelli’s views on religion and politics. 15 · Model answer

Section ‘B’: Indian Government and Politics

5. Comment on the following in about 150 words each: 10×5=50
   (a) Revolt of 1857 is a ‘Sepoy Mutiny’ or ‘First War of Independence’. 10 · Model answer
   (b) Indian Constitution is a ‘Lawyers’ Paradise’. – Ivor Jennings 10 · Model answer
   (c) New Panchayat Raj is an effective instrument for women empowerment. 10 · Model answer
   (d) Implementation of GST and NEET is a major challenge to Indian federalism. 10 · Model answer
   (e) Political personalities are more significant than political parties in India. 10 · Model answer
6. (a) Whether judicial activism has undermined or strengthened Parliamentary Democracy in India? Discuss. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Do the Lieutenant Governors have more powers than the Governors of the States? Explain. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Critically examine the ethnic conflicts in North-East India. 15 · Model answer
7. (a) Examine the provisions of Panchayat Extension Services Act (PESA), 1996. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Analyse the arguments in favour and against the lateral entry into higher civil services in India. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Discuss asymmetrical federalism in India. 15 · Model answer
8. (a) Examine the various causes of agrarian crisis in India. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Explain the increasing role of regional political parties in the national politics. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Critically analyse the environmentalist movement in Tuticorin, Tamilnadu. 15 · Model answer

PSIR Optional Question Paper-II (2018)

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) Describe the changing nature of Comparative Politics. Briefly explain the Political Economy approach to the study of Comparative Politics. 10 · Model answer
   (b) Describe the changing nature of the State in the developing societies in the context of inclusive growth in the 21st century. 10 · Model answer
   (c) How big a role does identity play in determining political participation in the developing countries? Discuss your answer with suitable illustrations. 10 · Model answer
   (d) Bring out the major differences between the Classical Realism of Hans Morgenthau and the Neorealism of Kenneth Waltz. 10 · Model answer
   (e) What, according to Joseph Nye, are the major sources of a country’s soft power? Discuss its relevance in the contemporary world politics. 10 · Model answer
2. (a) Discuss the significance of Non-Aligned Movement as a unique contribution of the Non-Western world to World Politics. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Discuss the consequences of Trump’s “America First” and Xi’s “Chinese Dream” on World Politics. 15 · Model answer
   (c) “Some feel Multinational Corporations (MNCs) are a vital new road to economic growth, whereas others feel they perpetuate underdevelopment.” Discuss. 15 · Model answer
3. (a) Discuss the relevance of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on the security of women in conflict zones. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Would you agree that the on-going debates on international environmental politics continue to be marred by a new North-South ideological divide over historical responsibility and developmental model? Illustrate your answer with suitable examples. 15 · Model answer
   (c) “Since its inception the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) has failed to deliver on its promises.” What initiatives should be taken to reinvigorate the organization? 15 · Model answer
4. (a) Critically examine the notion of “Asian Values” in the context of the on-going debates on human rights. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Discuss the implications of the Trump–Kim Singapore Summit on the prospects of denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Critically examine the Functionalist approach to the study of International Relations. 15 · Model answer

Section ‘B’: India and the World

5. Answer the following questions in about 150 words each: 10×5=50
   (a) Do you agree with the view that the Indian Foreign Policy is increasingly being shaped by the Neoliberal outlook? Elaborate. 10 · Model answer
   (b) “India is often said to have a rich strategic culture.” Discuss. 10 · Model answer
   (c) Evaluate India’s stand on the recent Rohingya refugee issue. 10 · Model answer
   (d) “India’s current foreign policy marks significant qualitative shifts from that of the previous regimes.” Discuss. 10 · Model answer
   (e) Analyse the significance of India’s Look East Policy in the light of concerns of the indigenous peoples of North-east India. 10 · Model answer
6. (a) India’s coalitional diplomacy within the WTO has earned it wide appreciation. What accounts for the success of India’s coalitional diplomacy? 20 · Model answer
   (b) “India’s capacity building programmes under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) has earned much goodwill for it in Africa.” Discuss. 15 · Model answer
   (c) “India’s Research and Information System for Developing Countries” (RIS) is a major initiative in the area of South-South Cooperation. Discuss. 15 · Model answer
7. (a) Discuss the role of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) in promoting India’s soft power abroad. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Discuss the role of Indian diaspora in promoting Indo-US relations. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Discuss the various impediments in India’s way to a permanent seat in the Security Council. 15 · Model answer
8. (a) Do you think that India’s capacity building role in Afghanistan has shrunk the strategic space for Pakistan there? Discuss. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Critically assess the evolving convergence of India and China in the areas of trade and environment. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Do you agree that the growing assertiveness of China is leading to multilayered Indo–Japan relations? Comment. 15 · Model answer

PSIR Optional 2018 Paper Analysis

Paper-I: syllabus-wise mapping

What stood out in Paper-I

• Section A was built around named thinkers. Seven of its fourteen parts name a thinker: Mill via C. L. Wayper in 1(a), Mussolini in 1(e), Rawls in 2(b), Macpherson in 3(b), Locke in 4(a), Ambedkar in 4(b) and Machiavelli in 4(c).
• Core concepts were asked in their plainest form. 1(b) Decline of Political Theory, 1(c) Distributive Justice, 1(d) Substantive Democracy, 3(a) the three generations of human rights and 3(c) power, authority and legitimacy rewarded clear definitions and a structured argument rather than recall of quotations.
• Section B tracked live governance debates. 5(d) on GST and NEET as a challenge to federalism, 6(b) on whether Lieutenant Governors have more powers than Governors, 7(b) on lateral entry into the higher civil services and 8(c) on the environmentalist movement in Tuticorin all needed recent, specific examples.
• Federalism, tribal self-rule and the North-East formed a cluster. 7(a) on the provisions of PESA, 1996, 7(c) on asymmetrical federalism, 6(c) on ethnic conflicts in North-East India and 5(c) on Panchayati Raj and women’s empowerment can be prepared together.
• Short comments reached back to the freedom struggle and the Constitution. 5(a) asked whether 1857 was a ‘Sepoy Mutiny’ or the ‘First War of Independence’, and 5(b) took Ivor Jennings’ ‘Lawyers’ Paradise’ jibe; party politics appeared twice, in 5(e) on personalities versus parties and 8(b) on regional parties in national politics.

Paper-II: syllabus-wise mapping

What stood out in Paper-II

• IR theory questions reused earlier framings. 1(d) on Morgenthau’s classical realism and Waltz’s neorealism repeats the 2015 question without its second half, and 4(c) on the Functionalist approach follows functionalism questions in 2013 and 2016.
• The year’s headline events reached Section A. 2(b) asked for the consequences of Trump’s “America First” and Xi’s “Chinese Dream”, and 4(b) for the implications of the Trump–Kim Singapore Summit for denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.
• Contemporary global concerns took a normative turn. 3(a) on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and women in conflict zones, 3(b) on the North-South divide over historical responsibility in environmental politics, and 4(a) on “Asian Values” in human-rights debates all asked for a balanced position, not a description.
• Section B was about India’s instruments of influence. 6(a) on coalitional diplomacy in the WTO, 6(b) on ITEC in Africa, 6(c) on RIS and South-South cooperation, 7(a) on the ICCR and 7(b) on the diaspora in Indo-US relations all link back to Nye’s soft power in 1(e).
• Foreign-policy doctrine and the neighbourhood were tested side by side. 5(a) on a neoliberal outlook, 5(b) on strategic culture and 5(d) on qualitative shifts from previous regimes sat alongside 5(c) on the Rohingya, 5(e) on Look East and the North-East, and 8(a) on Afghanistan and Pakistan’s strategic space.

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 2018 paper

Solved Answers to the PSIR 2018 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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