General Studies Paper 1
Indian Society, Art and Culture (Indian Heritage and Culture), Geography (Physical and Human), and History (Modern India & World) are the topics covered in the first general studies paper of the UPSC Mains. You will find a list of subject-specific questions from the IAS Exam’s Mains GS 1 from 2013 to 2023 in this article.
How to Approach GS 1 Paper for UPSC Mains?
The best source to understand the demand for the Mains General Studies 1 paper is through previous year’s question papers. With the help of topic-wise questions of Mains GS-I, you can derive a strategy to start your preparation. The major topics where questions are asked in the paper are:
History
- Modern Indian History
- World History
Art and Culture
- Indian Heritage & Culture
Geography
- Human Geography
- Physical Geography
- Geomorphology
- Indian Geography
- Climatology
- Oceanology
Indian Society
- Diversity in Indian Society
- Role of Women
- Poverty
- Urbanization
- Social Empowerment
- Regionalism
- Communalism
- Secularism, etc
In mains General Studies paper 1, questions are targeted at the above-mentioned topics and the sub-topics entailed by these. The only difference is in the number of questions from these. To understand in detail how to prepare for the Mains General Studies paper-1 and to get the trend analysis of the GS-I along with the strategy and syllabus, candidates can check the GS 1 Structure, Strategy and Syllabus page.
GS 1 Questions Topic Wise Analysis
The table below mentions the number of questions asked from each topic in UPSC Mains GS 1 from 2013-2023:
Topic 1 – History
The topic ‘History’ has the following sub-topics:
- History of the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues
- The Freedom Struggle
- Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.
- World History
| UPSC Mains GS 1 Questions – History | |
| Year | Number of Questions |
| 2013 | Total Question: 12
|
| 2014 | Total Question: 6
|
| 2015 | Total Question: 4
|
| 2016 | Total Question: 4
|
| 2017 | Total Question: 5
|
| 2018 | Total Question: 3
|
| 2019 | Total Question: 4
|
| 2020 | Total Question: 2
|
| 2021 | Total Question: 5
|
| 2022 | Total Question: 12 |
| 2023 | Total Question: 14 |
Topic 2 – Art & Culture
Indian culture comprises sub-topics like the salient aspects of:
- Art Forms
- Literature and
- Architecture, from ancient to modern times
| UPSC Mains GS 1 Questions – Art & Culture | |
| Year | Number of Questions |
| 2013 | 3 |
| 2014 | 4 |
| 2015 | 2 |
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 4 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2023 | 4 |
Topic 3 – Geography
The topic ‘Geography’ has the following subtopics:
- Physical geography
- Key natural resources across the world
- Industrial Sectors
- Indian & World Geography
- Geophysical phenomena
- Climate
- Urbanization
- Industrial Location
| UPSC Mains GS 1 Questions – Geography | |
| Year | Number of Questions |
| 2013 | 12 |
| 2014 | 10 |
| 2015 | 7 |
| 2016 | 9 |
| 2017 | 6 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 8 |
| 2020 | 8 |
| 2021 | 8 |
| 2022 | 11 |
| 2023 | 14 |
Topic 4 – Indian Society
The topic of Indian Society comprises:
- Indian Society’s salient features
- Diversity in Indian Society
- Women’s Role, Issues
- Poverty, Hunger Issues
- Urbanization, Issues
- Globalization, Issues
- Social Empowerment
- Regionalism, Communalism, Secularism
| UPSC Mains GS 1 Questions – Indian Society | |
| Year | Number of Questions |
| 2013 | 6 |
| 2014 | 5 |
| 2015 | 6 |
| 2016 | 6 |
| 2017 | 7 |
| 2018 | 11 |
| 2019 | 10 |
| 2020 | 6 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2022 | |
| 2023 | |
Strategy for UPSC Mains GS Paper 1
Focus Areas in Mains General Studies
The table below gives the focus areas in Mains GS Paper-I which an aspirant should focus on:
| Focus Areas in GS Paper I | |
| Subject | Topics |
| Art & Culture |
|
| Modern History |
|
| India after Independence & Political Philosophies |
|
| World History |
|
| Society of India |
|
| Geography |
|
How to prepare for UPSC GS Paper 1: Strategy & Tips
It is clear from the syllabus of the UPSC GS Paper 1 that broadly history, art & culture, and geography are to be covered to ace this paper. Following are some of the strategies that you can adopt to prepare this paper:
- History: Since the syllabus mentions only modern history, you can cover it from the books Spectrum (A Brief History of Modern India) & Bipin Chandra (History of Modern India)
- Art & Culture: Do not ignore the ancient and medieval history areas as questions from Art & Culture are asked from this portion. Glance through Class XI NCERT of Art & Culture to prepare this portion. Additionally, you can also refer to Indian Art & culture by Nitin Singhania
- Indian Society: Contemporary topics such as Indian Society, the Role of Women’s organizations, globalization, etc can be effectively covered by reading newspapers, monthly magazines, and PIB & PRS websites.
- Geography: The Geography part of the syllabus can be effectively covered from the NCERTs of Class XI and XII followed by a reading of books by Majid Hussain and GC Leong.
- Previous Year Questions & Mock Tests: Cover at least ten years of PYQs of UPSC GS Paper 1 to assess the type of questions being asked and also browse through the answer copies of toppers. You can easily get these answer copies online. Evaluate them to understand a good answer’s important elements and incorporate them into your answer writing. Practice it regularly and get your copies evaluated by your mentors.
Recommended Booklist for UPSC GS Paper 1 for IAS Mains Exam
- The Wonder That Was India- A.L. Basham. (Culture)
- India’s Ancient Past – R.S. Sharma. (Culture)
- Indian Art and Culture – Nitin Singhania. (Culture)
- A Brief History of Modern India – Spectrum Book (History)
- History Of Modern India – Bipan Chandra. (History)
- India’s Struggle For Independence – Bipan Chandra. (History)
- India After Gandhi – Ramchandra Guha (History – GS1)
- Norman Lowe OR History of Modern World – Jain and Mathur (World History – GS1)
- Social Problems In India – Ram Ahuja. (Indian Society – GS1)
- Geography of India – Majid Husain. (Geography)
- Oxford School Atlas – Oxford. (Geography)
- Certificate Physical and Human Geography – Goh Cheng Leong. (Geography)
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