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UPSC Mains 2019 General Studies Paper I

Explore the complete UPSC Mains GS Paper I question paper from 2019, with every question clearly presented alongside its marks and word limit. Read online or download either PDF edition free.

The official PDF is UPSC’s own bilingual file. The UPSC Gurus edition is a clean English version formatted for easy reading and printing.

Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2019Time Allowed: Three HoursMaximum Marks: 250

Practise Under the Exam Clock

Set aside three hours, start the clock and write your answers on paper, just as you would in the examination. Nothing needs to be uploaded.

Question Paper Specific Instructions

  • There are TWENTY questions printed both in HINDI and in ENGLISH.
  • All questions are compulsory.
  • The number of marks carried by a question/part is indicated against it.
  • Answers to questions no. 1 to 10 should be in 150 words, whereas answers to questions no. 11 to 20 should be in 250 words.
  • Keep the word limit indicated in the questions in mind.
  • 1

    Highlight the Central Asian and Greco-Bactrian elements in the Gandhara art.

    Answer in about 150 words
    10marks
  • 2

    The 1857 Uprising was the culmination of the recurrent big and small local rebellions that had occurred in the preceding hundred years of British rule. Elucidate.

    Answer in about 150 words
    10marks
  • 3

    Examine the linkages between the nineteenth century's 'Indian Renaissance' and the emergence of national identity.

    Answer in about 150 words
    10marks
  • 4

    Assess the impact of global warming on the coral life system with examples.

    Answer in about 150 words
    10marks
  • 5

    Discuss the causes of depletion of mangroves and explain their importance in maintaining coastal ecology.

    Answer in about 150 words
    10marks
  • 6

    Can the strategy of regional resource-based manufacturing help in promoting employment in India?

    Answer in about 150 words
    10marks
  • 7

    Discuss the factors for localisation of agro-based food processing industries of North-West India.

    Answer in about 150 words
    10marks
  • 8

    What makes the Indian society unique in sustaining its culture? Discuss.

    Answer in about 150 words
    10marks
  • 9

    "Empowering women is the key to control population growth." Discuss.

    Answer in about 150 words
    10marks
  • 10

    What are the challenges to our cultural practices in the name of secularism?

    Answer in about 150 words
    10marks
  • 11

    Many voices had strengthened and enriched the nationalist movement during the Gandhian phase. Elaborate.

    Answer in about 250 words
    15marks
  • 12

    Assess the role of British imperial power in complicating the process of transfer of power during the 1940s.

    Answer in about 250 words
    15marks
  • 13

    Explain how the foundations of the modern world were laid by the American and French Revolutions.

    Answer in about 250 words
    15marks
  • 14

    What is water stress? How and why does it differ regionally in India?

    Answer in about 250 words
    15marks
  • 15

    How can the mountain ecosystem be restored from the negative impact of development initiatives and tourism?

    Answer in about 250 words
    15marks
  • 16

    How is efficient and affordable urban mass transport key to the rapid economic development of India?

    Answer in about 250 words
    15marks
  • 17

    How do ocean currents and water masses differ in their impacts on marine life and coastal environment? Give suitable examples.

    Answer in about 250 words
    15marks
  • 18

    Do we have cultural pockets of small India all over the nation? Elaborate with examples.

    Answer in about 250 words
    15marks
  • 19

    What are the continued challenges for women in India against time and space?

    Answer in about 250 words
    15marks
  • 20

    Are we losing our local identity for the global identity? Discuss.

    Answer in about 250 words
    15marks
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