Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
UPSC CSE Mains 2026 PSIR Optional Paper 1 — full question paper with model answers, by Dr Sidharth Arora on Unacademy.
This year's paper marks a real shift — static syllabus and current affairs are now genuinely fused. Article 293, astroturfing in voting behaviour, the 2024 State of Kerala vs Union of India case: none of these can be answered from standard notes alone. Dr Arora works through each question with an introduction–body–conclusion template you can lift straight into your answer copy.
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🔥 UPSC Powerpack – Everything You Need for Your UPSC Prep, at Just ₹1! 🪙
Enrol Now: unacademy.com/goal/upsc-civil-services-examination-ias-preparation/KSCGY/subscribe/HTFOYMVUV8?referral_code=Sidlive
⏳ Offer valid till 2nd September.
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QUESTION PAPER + TIMESTAMPS
00:00:00 Why this year's PSIR paper is different
SECTION A
Q1. Write on the following in about 150 words each (10x5=50)
00:03:14 1(a) Resurgence of political theory
00:07:44 1(b) Post-colonial theory of State
00:12:26 1(c) The freedom of the pike is death to the minnows
00:17:49 1(d) Legitimacy is always a 'social construct'
00:23:26 1(e) Herbert Marcuse turned Freudianism on its head in his critical theory
00:29:22 2(a) Rights of the man are separate and independent of the State. Critically analyse the perspective of Laski. (20)
00:32:58 2(b) Fortune favours the brave. Discuss Machiavelli's concepts of 'virtue' and 'fortune'. (15)
00:37:15 2(c) Discuss B. R. Ambedkar's views on democracy and State socialism. (15)
00:39:53 3(a) Mill's work was crucial to the development of liberalism, because it straddled the divide between classical and modern theories. Analyse. (20)
00:43:37 3(b) Wollstonecraft developed the first systematic feminist critique. Discuss her main ideas. (15)
00:45:51 3(c) Discuss Gandhi's approach to property in relation to trusteeship. (15)
00:50:38 4(a) "Representative democracy is not an absolute principle, rather a question of time, place and circumstances." Analyse. Mention the major challenges. (20)
00:53:55 4(b) What is capability approach? Elaborate the distinctive features of the capability theory of equality. (15)
00:56:33 4(c) Analyse Kautilya's Saptanga theory. Explain its significance in present-day politics. (15)
SECTION B
00:58:18 Section B begins
Q5. Answer the following in about 150 words each (10x5=50)
00:58:37 5(a) How did Swadeshi grow into a demand for Swaraj?
01:01:07 5(b) The Constitution of India was secular even before the word was included in the Preamble. Comment.
01:04:04 5(c) Identity has become an important phenomenon in modern politics in India. Discuss.
01:06:29 5(d) Ending proxy leadership in Panchayati Raj is a necessary step towards true grassroots democracy. Comment.
01:09:09 5(e) Discuss the impact of liberalization on the agriculture sector in India.
01:11:46 6(a) From passive resistors to armed revolutionaries, the Indian Freedom Struggle has a strong imprint of women freedom fighters. Elucidate. (20)
01:13:05 6(b) When there are multiple stakeholders of power, conversation and consensus become the natural ingredients of governance. Analyse with respect to coalition politics. (15)
01:15:04 6(c) Evaluate Centre-State relations with reference to Article 293 and analyse its implications for the Indian federal structure. (15)
01:16:29 7(a) Elucidate the prominent trends in voting behaviour in contemporary India, and discuss how astroturfing affects the scenario. (20)
7(b) Highlight any five constitutional provisions that restrain the powers of the executive, and evaluate their effectiveness in current times. (15)
7(c) Map the different types of ethnic conflicts that have emerged in 21st century India. (15)
01:18:44 8(a) Discuss the causes and consequences of inter-State water disputes in India. (20)
01:20:55 8(b) Critically comment on the shifts in the functioning of the Indian Parliament in the last two decades. (15)
01:22:49 8(c) "The lack of political will in preventing environmental degradation is one of the major challenges that India is experiencing." Comment. (15)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
👨⚖️ ABOUT DR. SIDHARTH ARORA
- Practising Advocate | Supreme Court of India
- Expert in Polity, Governance & International Relations for UPSC CSE
▶ Profile: unacademy.com/@sidhartharoraofficial
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#UPSC #PSIR #PSIROptional #UPSCMains2026 #SidharthArora #Unacademy #PoliticalScience #UPSCCSE #ModelAnswers #IAS #OptionalSubject #UPSC2026 #PaperAnalysis #CivilServices #UPSCPreparation
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UPSC CSE Mains 2026 PSIR Optional Paper 1 — full question paper with model answers, by Dr Sidharth Arora on Unacademy.
This year's paper marks a real shift — static syllabus and current affairs are now genuinely fused. Article 293, astroturfing in voting behaviour, the 2024 State of Kerala vs Union of India case: none of these can be answered from standard notes alone. Dr Arora works through each question with an introduction–body–conclusion template you can lift straight into your answer copy.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🔥 UPSC Powerpack – Everything You Need for Your UPSC Prep, at Just ₹1! 🪙
Enrol Now: unacademy.com/goal/upsc-civil-services-examination-ias-preparation/KSCGY/subscribe/HTFOYMVUV8?referral_code=Sidlive
⏳ Offer valid till 2nd September.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
QUESTION PAPER + TIMESTAMPS
00:00:00 Why this year's PSIR paper is different
SECTION A
Q1. Write on the following in about 150 words each (10x5=50)
00:03:14 1(a) Resurgence of political theory
00:07:44 1(b) Post-colonial theory of State
00:12:26 1(c) The freedom of the pike is death to the minnows
00:17:49 1(d) Legitimacy is always a 'social construct'
00:23:26 1(e) Herbert Marcuse turned Freudianism on its head in his critical theory
00:29:22 2(a) Rights of the man are separate and independent of the State. Critically analyse the perspective of Laski. (20)
00:32:58 2(b) Fortune favours the brave. Discuss Machiavelli's concepts of 'virtue' and 'fortune'. (15)
00:37:15 2(c) Discuss B. R. Ambedkar's views on democracy and State socialism. (15)
00:39:53 3(a) Mill's work was crucial to the development of liberalism, because it straddled the divide between classical and modern theories. Analyse. (20)
00:43:37 3(b) Wollstonecraft developed the first systematic feminist critique. Discuss her main ideas. (15)
00:45:51 3(c) Discuss Gandhi's approach to property in relation to trusteeship. (15)
00:50:38 4(a) "Representative democracy is not an absolute principle, rather a question of time, place and circumstances." Analyse. Mention the major challenges. (20)
00:53:55 4(b) What is capability approach? Elaborate the distinctive features of the capability theory of equality. (15)
00:56:33 4(c) Analyse Kautilya's Saptanga theory. Explain its significance in present-day politics. (15)
SECTION B
00:58:18 Section B begins
Q5. Answer the following in about 150 words each (10x5=50)
00:58:37 5(a) How did Swadeshi grow into a demand for Swaraj?
01:01:07 5(b) The Constitution of India was secular even before the word was included in the Preamble. Comment.
01:04:04 5(c) Identity has become an important phenomenon in modern politics in India. Discuss.
01:06:29 5(d) Ending proxy leadership in Panchayati Raj is a necessary step towards true grassroots democracy. Comment.
01:09:09 5(e) Discuss the impact of liberalization on the agriculture sector in India.
01:11:46 6(a) From passive resistors to armed revolutionaries, the Indian Freedom Struggle has a strong imprint of women freedom fighters. Elucidate. (20)
01:13:05 6(b) When there are multiple stakeholders of power, conversation and consensus become the natural ingredients of governance. Analyse with respect to coalition politics. (15)
01:15:04 6(c) Evaluate Centre-State relations with reference to Article 293 and analyse its implications for the Indian federal structure. (15)
01:16:29 7(a) Elucidate the prominent trends in voting behaviour in contemporary India, and discuss how astroturfing affects the scenario. (20)
7(b) Highlight any five constitutional provisions that restrain the powers of the executive, and evaluate their effectiveness in current times. (15)
7(c) Map the different types of ethnic conflicts that have emerged in 21st century India. (15)
01:18:44 8(a) Discuss the causes and consequences of inter-State water disputes in India. (20)
01:20:55 8(b) Critically comment on the shifts in the functioning of the Indian Parliament in the last two decades. (15)
01:22:49 8(c) "The lack of political will in preventing environmental degradation is one of the major challenges that India is experiencing." Comment. (15)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
👨⚖️ ABOUT DR. SIDHARTH ARORA
- Practising Advocate | Supreme Court of India
- Expert in Polity, Governance & International Relations for UPSC CSE
▶ Profile: unacademy.com/@sidhartharoraofficial
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#UPSC #PSIR #PSIROptional #UPSCMains2026 #SidharthArora #Unacademy #PoliticalScience #UPSCCSE #ModelAnswers #IAS #OptionalSubject #UPSC2026 #PaperAnalysis #CivilServices #UPSCPreparation
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