Essay PYQs

MAINS 2013–2026 · ESSAY PAPER

Year-wise·GS PYQs·108 questions

2026 · Section AOxymorons reflect the ironies of life.2026 · Section AA grateful mind is very beautiful.2026 · Section AA thorn is a changed bud.2026 · Section AWhen two elephants fight, it is the grass that gets trampled.2026 · Section BNature is the symbol of the spirit.2026 · Section BA well-educated mind will always have more questions than answers.2026 · Section BShelving hard decisions is the least ethical course.2026 · Section BA good leader is one who follows the followers.2025 · Section ATruth knows no color.2025 · Section AThe supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.2025 · Section AThought finds a world and creates one also.2025 · Section ABest lessons are learnt through bitter experiences.2025 · Section BMuddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone.2025 · Section BThe years teach much which the days never know.2025 · Section BIt is best to see life as a journey, not as a destination.2025 · Section BContentment is natural wealth; luxury is artificial poverty.2024 · Section AForests precede civilizations and deserts follow them.2024 · Section AThe empires of the future will be the empires of the mind.2024 · Section AThere is no path to happiness; happiness is the path.2024 · Section AThe doubter is a true man of science.2024 · Section BSocial media is triggering 'Fear of Missing Out' amongst the youth, precipitating depression and loneliness.2024 · Section BNearly all men can stand adversity, but to test the character, give him power.2024 · Section BAll ideas having large consequences are always simple.2024 · Section BThe cost of being wrong is less than the cost of doing nothing.2023 · Section AThinking is like a game, it does not begin unless there is an opposite team.2023 · Section AVisionary decision-making happens at the intersection of intuition and logic.2023 · Section ANot all who wander are lost.2023 · Section AInspiration for creativity springs from the effort to look for the magical in the mundane.2023 · Section BGirls are weighed down by restrictions, boys with demands – two equally harmful disciplines.2023 · Section BMathematics is the music of reason.2023 · Section BA society that has more justice is a society that needs less charity.2023 · Section BEducation is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.2022 · Section AForests are the best case studies for economic excellence.2022 · Section APoets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.2022 · Section AHistory is a series of victories won by the scientific man over the romantic man.2022 · Section AA ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what a ship is for.2022 · Section BThe time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.2022 · Section BYou cannot step twice in the same river.2022 · Section BA smile is the chosen vehicle for all ambiguities.2022 · Section BJust because you have a choice, it does not mean that any of them has to be right.2021 · Section AThe process of self-discovery has now been technologically outsourced.2021 · Section AYour perception of me is a reflection of you; my reaction to you is an awareness of me.2021 · Section APhilosophy of wantlessness is Utopian, while materialism is a chimera.2021 · Section AThe real is rational and the rational is real.2021 · Section BHand that rocks the cradle rules the world.2021 · Section BWhat is research, but a blind date with knowledge!2021 · Section BHistory repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce.2021 · Section BThere are better practices to 'best practices'.2020 · Section ALife is a long journey between human being and being humane.2020 · Section AMindful manifesto is the catalyst to a tranquil self.2020 · Section AShips do not sink because of water around them, ships sink because of water that gets into them.2020 · Section ASimplicity is the ultimate sophistication.2020 · Section BCulture is what we are, civilization is what we have.2020 · Section BThere can be no social justice without economic prosperity, but economic prosperity without social justice is meaningless.2020 · Section BPatriarchy is the least noticed yet the most significant structure of social inequality.2020 · Section BTechnology as the silent factor in international relations.2019 · Section AWisdom finds truth.2019 · Section AValues are not what humanity is, but what humanity ought to be.2019 · Section ABest for an individual is not necessarily best for the society.2019 · Section ACourage to accept and dedication to improve are two keys to success.2019 · Section BSouth Asian societies are woven not around the state, but around their plural cultures and plural identities.2019 · Section BNeglect of primary health care and education in India are reasons for its backwardness.2019 · Section BBiased media is a real threat to Indian democracy.2019 · Section BRise of Artificial Intelligence: the threat of jobless future or better job opportunities through reskilling and upskilling.2018 · Section AAlternative technologies for a climate change resilient India.2018 · Section AA good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge.2018 · Section APoverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere.2018 · Section AManagement of Indian border disputes – a complex task.2018 · Section BCustomary morality cannot be a guide to modern life.2018 · Section B'The past' is a permanent dimension of human consciousness and values.2018 · Section BA people that values its privileges above its principles loses both.2018 · Section BReality does not conform to the ideal, but confirms it.2017 · Section AFarming has lost the ability to be a source of subsistence for majority of farmers in India.2017 · Section AImpact of the new economic measures on fiscal ties between the union and states in India.2017 · Section ADestiny of a nation is shaped in its classrooms.2017 · Section AHas the Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) lost its relevance in a multipolar world?2017 · Section BJoy is the simplest form of gratitude.2017 · Section BFulfilment of 'new woman' in India is a myth.2017 · Section BWe may brave human laws but cannot resist natural laws.2017 · Section B'Social media' is inherently a selfish medium.2016 · Section AIf development is not engendered, it is endangered.2016 · Section ANeed brings greed, if greed increases it spoils breed.2016 · Section AWater disputes between States in federal India.2016 · Section AInnovation is the key determinant of economic growth and social welfare.2016 · Section BCooperative federalism: Myth or reality.2016 · Section BCyberspace and Internet: Blessing or curse to the human civilization in the long run.2016 · Section BNear jobless growth in India: An anomaly or an outcome of economic reforms.2016 · Section BDigital economy: A leveller or a source of economic inequality.2015 · Section ALending hands to someone is better than giving a dole.2015 · Section AQuick but steady wins the race.2015 · Section ACharacter of an institution is reflected in its leader.2015 · Section AEducation without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make a man more clever devil.2015 · Section BTechnology cannot replace manpower.2015 · Section BCrisis faced in India – moral or economic.2015 · Section BDreams which should not let India sleep.2015 · Section BCan capitalism bring inclusive growth?2014 · Section AWith greater power comes greater responsibility.2014 · Section AIs the growing level of competition good for the youth?2014 · Section AAre the standardized tests good measure of academic ability or progress?2014 · Section AWords are sharper than the two-edged sword.2014 · Section BWas it the policy paralysis or the paralysis of implementation which slowed the growth of our country?2014 · Section BIs sting operation an invasion on privacy?2014 · Section BFifty Golds in Olympics: Can this be a reality for India?2014 · Section BTourism: Can this be the next big thing for India?2013 · Mains 2013Be the change you want to see in others (Gandhiji).2013 · Mains 2013Is the colonial mentality hindering India's success?2013 · Mains 2013GDP (Gross Domestic Product) along with GDH (Gross Domestic Happiness) would be the right indices for judging the well-being of a country.2013 · Mains 2013Science and technology is the panacea for the growth and security of the nation.

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ESSAY PAPER

Essay

2014

UPSC Mains 2014 Essay Topics

TOPICS

8

two sections

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Section A

With greater power comes greater responsibility.
Is the growing level of competition good for the youth?
Are the standardized tests good measure of academic ability or progress?
Words are sharper than the two-edged sword.

Section B

Was it the policy paralysis or the paralysis of implementation which slowed the growth of our country?
Is sting operation an invasion on privacy?
Fifty Golds in Olympics: Can this be a reality for India?
Tourism: Can this be the next big thing for India?