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

2026

UPSC Mains 2026 Essay Topics

TOPICS

8

two sections

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Section A

Oxymorons reflect the ironies of life.
A grateful mind is very beautiful.
A thorn is a changed bud.
When two elephants fight, it is the grass that gets trampled.

Section B

Nature is the symbol of the spirit.
A well-educated mind will always have more questions than answers.
Shelving hard decisions is the least ethical course.
A good leader is one who follows the followers.