PSIR Optional Question Paper 2022

The PSIR Optional Question Paper 2022 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 2022 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 2022 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 (2022)

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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. Write on the following in about 150 words each: 10×5=50
   (a) Systems Approach 10 · Model answer
   (b) Cultural Relativism 10 · Model answer
   (c) “Revolution in Permanence” 10 · Model answer
   (d) Bases of Power 10 · Model answer
   (e) Locke’s Social Contract 10 · Model answer
2. (a) Factors like community, culture and nation weaken the hegemony of neo-liberalism today. Discuss. 20 · Model answer
   (b) “Equality of estates caused equality of power, and equality of power is liberty.” Comment. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Elitist theory of democracy denies the possibility of democracy as ‘rule of the people’. Elucidate. 15 · Model answer
3. (a) Examine the liberal theory of State in contemporary politics. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Human Rights are complex and contested social practice that organises relations between individuals, society and the State. Comment. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Individualism is inherent in Hobbes’ absolutist ideology. Comment. 15 · Model answer
4. (a) Dr. Ambedkar’s idea of social justice leads to ‘egalitarian justice’ as compared to Rawls’ ‘justice as fairness’ which aims at the notion of ‘pure procedural justice’. Comment. 20 · Model answer
   (b) “The Panchayats with Gram Sabhas should be so organised as to identify the resources locally available for the development in agricultural and industrial sectors.” Examine the statement in the context of Gram Swaraj. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Examine the entitlement theory of justice. 15 · Model answer

Section ‘B’: Indian Government and Politics

5. Answer the following in about 150 words each: 10×5=50
   (a) Analyse the workers’ movement in India in the pre-Independence period. 10 · Model answer
   (b) The Preamble of the Indian Constitution reflects itself as a ‘social contract’. Elucidate. 10 · Model answer
   (c) Legislative Council is a house without any effective powers. Comment. 10 · Model answer
   (d) How far is the National Commission for Backward Classes an empowered body? Assess its role in the context of rising demand for backwardness among dominant communities. 10 · Model answer
   (e) High concentration of economic activities and consumption patterns in post-liberalisation period has led to the failure of environmental movements in India. Elucidate. 10 · Model answer
6. (a) Electoral behaviour of voters is governed more by the social and economic factors than the political factors. Explain. 20 · Model answer
   (b) The Doctrine of Basic Structure of the Constitution has enhanced the power of judicial review of the Supreme Court. Examine. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Discuss the composition and functions of the Inter-State Council. To what extent has this body been successful in achieving its objectives? 15 · Model answer
7. (a) Examine the unique features of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment. Do you think this Amendment would contribute in achieving the goal of empowerment of marginalised sections of the society? 20 · Model answer
   (b) The Speaker represents the freedom and dignity of the House. Examine. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Discuss the policy initiatives of the Fourteenth Finance Commission aimed towards promoting and strengthening agricultural development in India. 15 · Model answer
8. (a) Ethnicity is the underlying cause which poses a great challenge in the resolution of the problems in the North-East region of India. Comment. 20 · Model answer
   (b) The making of the Indian Constitution is described as an attempt towards ‘social revolution’. Comment. 15 · Model answer
   (c) How far is it correct that the regional parties have strengthened Indian democracy and federal system? Substantiate your answer with suitable examples. 15 · Model answer

PSIR Optional Question Paper-II (2022)

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 main limitations of the comparative method to the study of Political Science. 10 · Model answer
   (b) What are the main challenges faced by the developing countries in the era of globalisation? 10 · Model answer
   (c) Discuss the commonalities between the Marxist and Realist approach to the study of International Politics. 10 · Model answer
   (d) Bipolar structure of the world is more stable than the multipolar one. Comment. 10 · Model answer
   (e) National Interest is an essentially contested concept. Comment. 10 · Model answer
2. (a) How has the electoral democracy augmented the participation of people in the democratic process? 20 · Model answer
   (b) Discuss the role of social movements in strengthening the democratic processes in developing societies. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Describe the composition of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Discuss its voluntary jurisdiction. 15 · Model answer
3. (a) Critically examine the rise of People’s Republic of China (PRC) as a great power and its implications on Asian Political order. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Discuss the conceptual dimensions of collective security. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Discuss the efficacy of global conventions to combat international terrorism. 15 · Model answer
4. (a) Identify and evaluate the reasons for deadlock in the WTO negotiations on fisheries between the developing and developed countries. 20 · Model answer
   (b) What is the realist prescription to the States to ensure their survival in an anarchical world? 15 · Model answer
   (c) Russian-Ukraine crisis has cast a dark shadow on the energy needs of the member states of the European Union (EU). Comment. 15 · Model answer

Section ‘B’: India and the World

5. Answer the following in about 150 words each: 10×5=50
   (a) Peaceful co-existence remains the cornerstone of India’s foreign policy. Comment. 10 · Model answer
   (b) Discuss the ways and means to realise greater economic co-operation among the Member States of South Asia. 10 · Model answer
   (c) Discuss the steps required to realise ‘hydro-co-operation’ between India and Bangladesh. 10 · Model answer
   (d) Explain the significance of Basic Exchange and Co-operation Agreement (BECA) for Indo-US strategic relations. 10 · Model answer
   (e) Discuss the role of public diplomacy in the enhancement of India’s global standing. 10 · Model answer
6. (a) Discuss the relevance of the demand for New International Economic Order (NIEO) in the present era of globalisation. 20 · Model answer
   (b) Critically examine the major factors responsible for a turnaround in the trajectory of India’s foreign policy in the post-cold war period. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Discuss the reasons behind India’s refusal to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT). 15 · Model answer
7. (a) What are the main drivers of India-Japan Strategic and Global Partnership? 20 · Model answer
   (b) What are the implications of ‘Look-East’ Policy on the north-eastern region of India? 15 · Model answer
   (c) Explain the factors which justify India’s claim for a permanent seat at the UN security council. 15 · Model answer
8. (a) How does India-Israel bilateral ties reflect the autonomy of India’s foreign policy choices? 20 · Model answer
   (b) Discuss the consequences of illegal cross-border migration in India’s north-eastern region. 15 · Model answer
   (c) Discuss India’s vision of a New World order in the 21st century. 15 · Model answer

PSIR Optional 2022 Paper Analysis

Paper-I: syllabus-wise mapping

What stood out in Paper-I

• Western thought carried Section A. Locke’s social contract 1(e), Hobbes’ individualism 3(c), Harrington’s ‘equality of estates’ 2(b) and the ‘Revolution in Permanence’ 1(c) meant at least four answers turned on a named Western thinker or text.
• Justice was asked twice in one question set. Q4 paired the entitlement theory 4(c) with a 20-mark comparison of Ambedkar’s ‘egalitarian justice’ and Rawls’ ‘pure procedural justice’ 4(a), so Rawls had to be handled both as a theory and as a foil.
• Indian thought appeared only through Ambedkar and Gandhi. 4(b) quoted a Gram Swaraj passage on Panchayats and Gram Sabhas, asking candidates to read Gandhi through local resource planning rather than as an abstract ideal.
• Section B was an institutions paper. The Legislative Council 5(c), NCBC 5(d), basic structure 6(b), Inter-State Council 6(c), 73rd Amendment 7(a), Speaker 7(b) and Fourteenth Finance Commission 7(c) together took seven of the fifteen Section B sub-parts.
• Familiar Indian-politics themes returned. The Inter-State Council came back after 2020, the basic structure after 2016 and 2019, and north-east ethnicity 8(a) after 2018.

Paper-II: syllabus-wise mapping

What stood out in Paper-II

• Classical IR theory dominated Section A’s short answers. Bipolar stability 1(d), national interest as a contested concept 1(e) and Marxist–Realist commonalities 1(c) sat beside a 15-mark realist survival question 4(b).
• Current affairs entered through the global economy. The WTO fisheries deadlock 4(a) and the Russia–Ukraine crisis’s effect on EU energy 4(c) were the year’s most time-bound questions.
• Comparative politics was short and conceptual. The comparative method’s limitations 1(a) returned after 2019 and 2020, while 2(a) and 2(b) examined electoral democracy and social movements in developing societies.
• The north-east was a Section B thread. Look-East’s implications for the north-east 7(b) and illegal cross-border migration 8(b) joined hydro-co-operation with Bangladesh 5(c) to make South Asia the largest single block.
• Standing questions on India’s global role repeated. The UNSC claim 7(c), NPT refusal 6(c), NIEO 6(a) and the new world order 8(c) all echo questions set between 2014 and 2020.

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 2022 paper

Solved Answers to the PSIR 2022 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 2023
• 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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