ANALYSIS OF PAPER 1

I.1. SECTION A - POLITICAL THEORY AND INDIAN POLITICS

(Even though original syllabus names this section as ‘Political theory and Indian politics’, syllabus of Indian politics is covered in section B. This section covers only Indian political thought)

The Paper 1, Section A consists of theoretical politics and political thought of famous western thinkers and Indian thinkers. The previous year questions from 2011 have been analysed below. The total syllabus of paper 1, section B is segregated into 32 micro topics and number of questions from each micro-topics from each year is mentioned below. Please observe the table properly to understand the pattern of questions.

Topic-wise Question Distribution (2011 - 2024)

S.No	Topics	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
1	Political Theory: Meaning and Approaches	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	1	1	1	1	0	3	2
2	Theories of State: Liberal, Neo-Liberal, Marxist, Pluralist, Post-colonial and Feminist.	1	1	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	1
3	Justice: Conception of Justice with special reference to Rawl’s theory of Justice and its communitarian Critiques.	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	1	1	1	0
4	Equality: Social, Political, Economic; Relationship between equality and freedom; Affirmative action.	0	2	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	1	2	1	1	1
5	Rights: Meaning and theories; different kinds of rights; Concept of human rights.	0	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	1
6	Democracy: Classical & Contemporary theories; different models of democracy – representative, participatory and deliberative.	1	1	0	2	1	1	1	2	1	1	1	1	0	1
7	Concept of Power: Hegemony, Ideology and legitimacy *These questions overlap with Gramsci	1	1	1*	1	2	1*	0	1	1*	1	1	1	1	2
8	Political ideologies (Introduction)	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	0
9	Liberalism	0	0	2	0	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	1
10	Socialism	0	0	0	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
11	Marxism and Philosophy of Marx	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	0	1
12	Fascism	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0
13	Feminism	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
14	Political thought (General Introduction- India and western)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0
15	Dharmashastra	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
16	Arthashastra * These questions overlap with Machiavelli.	0	1*	1	0	1*	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
17	Buddhist Tradition	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1
18	Sir Syed Ahmed Khan	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
19	Sri Aurobindo	0	0	1	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
20	Gandhi and Gandhism *This question overlap with Ambedkar	1*	1	0	0	1	1	0	0	1	1	0	1	0	0
21	B.R. Ambedkar *This question overlap with Gandhi	1*	0	1	0	0	1	1	1	0	1	0	1	0	0
22	M.N. Roy	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
23	Plato * This question overlaps with Aristotle	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1*	0	0	0	0	0
24	Aristotle * This question overlaps with Plato	1	0	0	1	1	0	1	0	1*	0	1	0	0	0
25	Machiavelli *These questions overlap with Arthashastra.	0	1*	0	1	1*	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
26	Hobbes	1	0	1	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	0
27	Locke	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1
28	JS Mill	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0
29	Gramsci * These questions overlap with Power/Hegemony.	0	0	1*	0	1	1*	0	0	1*	0	0	0	0	0
30	Hannah Arendt	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
31	Out of Syllabus/ Liberty	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
32	Out of Syllabus/ Approaches to Politics	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0

* Indicates overlapping questions across topics.

From the table, you can clearly see that not all topics are treated equally by UPSC. Some areas appear year after year, while others are touched once in a blue moon. So here’s how you should interpret and act on the data:

🔥 High-Yield Topics (Most Frequently Asked – Must Master)

These topics are almost guaranteed to appear. You can’t afford to miss them.

Topic	Strategy
Political Theory: Approaches	Appeared in 11 out of 14 years. Prepare all approaches thoroughly with scholars.
Theories of State	Almost every year. Cover each variant: liberal, neo-liberal, Marxist, pluralist, feminist, post-colonial.
Equality, Rights, Democracy	Core themes. Their combined presence is strong. Link theory with constitutional and global practices.
Concept of Power (Gramsci etc.)	High recurrence. Prepare power, hegemony, legitimacy, and interlink with thinkers like Gramsci.
Western Political Thought (Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Mill)	Frequently appear in rotation. Prepare each thinker’s contribution + comparison.

📉 Moderate-Yield Topics (Appear Off & On – Prepare Smartly)

These are asked with some gaps. Don’t ignore them, but revise strategically.

Topic	Strategy
Justice (Rawls & critics)	High in some years, absent in others. Prepare key principles and counter-arguments.
Feminism & Political Ideologies	Marginal but relevant. Keep short, crisp points ready.
Indian Thinkers: Gandhi, Ambedkar, Aurobindo	Gandhi & Ambedkar appear often, but not always together. Compare their thoughts.
Buddhist Tradition, Dharmashastra, Arthashastra	Cultural angle often linked to political thought. Prepare basic contributions & philosophical standpoints.

🧊 Low-Yield Topics (Rarely Asked – Low Priority, Revise Last)

These topics appear sporadically. Revise them in the final phase or if time permits.

Topic	Strategy
Fascism, Socialism, M.N. Roy, Hannah Arendt, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan	Appeared only once or twice. Just understand the core ideas.
Out of syllabus entries (Liberty, Approaches to Politics)	Optional — prepare if you’re aiming for 300+ and have time.

🎯 How to Use This Table for Your Preparation

1. Build Your Core: Start with Political Theory, Democracy, Rights, Equality, and State Theories. They are recurring and conceptually interlinked.
2. Do Rotational Revision: Thinkers rotate every 2–3 years. Group Western and Indian thinkers by theme (e.g., State, Power, Liberty).
3. Focus on Integration: Where possible, interlink Paper 1 and Paper 2 — e.g., Gramsci’s hegemony with India’s caste politics.
4. Be Current: For frequently asked thinkers or theories, be ready to link their ideas with contemporary events (e.g., Rawls & social justice schemes).
5. Keep a Watchlist: Note the topics not asked recently — they might come in the next paper. Eg: Fascism, Liberty, Feminism.

I.2. SECTION B - INDIAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Paper 1, section B has three major areas. They are Indian Nationalism, Indian Polity and Indian Politics. The total syllabus of Paper 1, section B can be segregated into these areas as follows.

1. Indian Nationalism

Political Strategies of Freedom Struggle: Constitutionalism to Mass satyagraha, Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience; Militant and revolutionary movements, peasant and workers Movements.
Perspectives of Indian National Movement: Liberal, Socialist and Marxist, Radical Humanist and Dalit.

2. Indian Polity

Making of the Indian Constitution: Legacies of the British rule; different social and political perspectives.
Salient Features of the Indian Constitution: The Preamble, Fundamental Rights and Duties, Directive Principles; Parliamentary System and Amendment Procedures; Judicial Review and Basic Structure doctrine.
Principal Organs of the Union & State Government: Envisaged role and actual working of the Executive, Legislature and Supreme/High Courts.
Grassroots Democracy: Panchayati Raj and Municipal Government; Significance of 73rd and 74th Amendments; Grassroot movements.
Statutory Institutions/Commissions: Election Commission, CAG, Finance Commission, UPSC, National Commissions for SC/ST/Women/Minorities/Backward Classes, NHRC.
Federalism: Constitutional provisions; changing nature of centre-state relations; integrationist tendencies and regional aspirations; inter-state disputes.
Planning and Economic development: Nehruvian and Gandhian perspectives; Role of planning and public sector; Green Revolution, land reforms and agrarian relations; liberalization and economic reforms.

3. Indian Politics

Caste, Religion and Ethnicity in Indian Politics.
Party System: National and regional political parties, ideological and social bases of parties; Patterns of coalition politics; Pressure groups, trends in electoral behaviour; changing socio-economic profile of Legislators.
Social Movement: Civil liberties and human rights movements; women’s movements; environmentalist movements.

The chart below gives you a clear picture of how questions in PSIR Paper 1, SECTION B (Indian Government & Politics) have been distributed across these three major areas over the last 14 years (2011–2024).

From the analysis, you can understand:

Which of these three areas is consistently given more weightage by UPSC.
How the focus of questions shifts between constitution-based and politics-based areas in different years.
Whether there's a pattern in years where nationalism is given a push, or polity becomes the priority.

This overview helps you plan better — for example, if Indian Polity dominates a few consecutive years, you will know where to invest more time. And if Indian Politics gets more questions in recent years, you know the exam is leaning towards current socio-political realities.

Topic-wise Question Distribution (2011 - 2024)

This table shows you exactly how many questions have been asked from each topic in PSIR Paper 1 (Indian Government & Politics) from 2011 to 2024.

S.No	Topics	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
1	Political Strategies of Freedom Struggle	1	1	0	1	1	0	2	1	1	2	0	1	1	0
2	Perspectives of Indian National Movement	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	1	1
3	Making of Constitution: Legacies & Perspectives	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	1
4	Salient Features, Preamble, FR & Duties	0	0	2	0	1	1	1	1	0	1	2	1	2	2
5	Directive Principles of State Policy	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	1
6	Amendment Procedures & Important Amendments	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
7	Judicial Review, Activism & Basic Structure	0	2	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	0	1	1	0
8	Principal Organs: Union Government	0	0	3	1	0	0	3	0	1	1	2	1	0	0
9	Principal Organs: State Government	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	1
10	Grassroots Democracy: PRIs & Urban Bodies	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	1	1	2	2
11	Statutory Institutions & Commissions	2	1	0	3	0	1	1	1	2	1	1	2	1	1
12	Federalism: Provisions & Disputes	1	1	1	0	1	2	1	2	1	2	1	1	1	0
13	Planning and Economic Development	0	1	1	0	3	2	2	1	1	1	1	0	1	2
14	Caste, Religion, Ethnicity & Secularism	2	0	1	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
15	Party System & Coalition Politics	2	2	1	3	1	2	1	2	1	1	1	2	1	1
16	Social Movements: HR, Women, Environment	0	1	2	2	0	1	0	1	1	1	0	1	1	1

🔥 High-Focus Areas

Asked almost every year. Master these thoroughly.

Party System, Caste & Secularism, Grassroots Democracy.

📊 Moderate-Focus Areas

Irregular but repeated patterns. Revise strategically.

Federalism, Judiciary, Planning & Economic Development.

🧊 Low-Yield Areas

Rarely touched but don't skip completely.

Amendment Procedures, State Government Organs.

By looking at the spread across years, you’ll also notice how some topics rise during key national developments — for example, questions on Judicial Activism become more frequent when constitutional debates are in the news.

ANALYSIS OF PAPER 2

II.1. SECTION A - COMPARATIVE POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Paper 2, section A has two major areas: Comparative Politics and International Relations. The total syllabus for this section is segregated as follows.

1. Comparative Politics

Nature and Approaches: Nature and major approaches; Political economy and political sociology perspectives; Limitations of the comparative method.
State in Comparative Perspective: Characteristics and changing nature of the State in capitalist and socialist economies, advanced industrial and developing societies.
Politics of Representation and Participation: Political parties, pressure groups and social movements in advanced industrial and developing societies.
Globalisation: Responses from developed and developing societies.

2. International Relations

Approaches: Idealist, Realist, Marxist, Functionalist and Systems theory.
Key Concepts: National interest, security, power, balance of power, deterrence, transnational actors, and collective security.
International Political Order: Rise of superpowers, Cold War, Strategic Bipolarity, Collapse of USSR, Unipolarity, and NAM.
International Economic System: Brettonwoods to WTO, Third World demands for NIEO, and Globalisation.

United Nations: Envisaged role, specialized agencies, and the need for UN reforms.
Regionalisation: Evolution and role of EU, ASEAN, APEC, SAARC, and NAFTA.
Global Concerns: Human rights, environment, gender justice, terrorism, and nuclear proliferation.

Trend Analysis (2011–2024)

The chart and table below give you a clear picture of how questions in PSIR Paper 2, SECTION A have been distributed across Comparative Politics and International Relations over the last 14 years.

From the Trend Analysis, you can understand:

Comparative Politics has consistently received at least 4 questions each year for the past three years, showing a steady and reliable trend.
Over the last 14 years (2011–2024), Comparative Politics has averaged 4.29 questions per year, making it a high-return area for preparation.
While peaks were observed in years like 2012 and 2021, the likelihood of another major spike may be lower in the near term — but it's not impossible. So, don’t completely de-prioritise it.

Year-wise Topic Distribution (2011 - 2024)

This table shows exactly how many questions have been asked from each topic in PSIR Paper 2, section A (comparative politics and international relations).

S.No	Topics	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
1	Comparative politics: nature, approaches & limitations	1	2+1*	0	0	2	1+1*	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	1
2	State in comparative perspective	0	0	1	0	0	1	2	1	0	1	1	0	1	1
3	Politics of representation and Participation	0	4	0	1	2	1	0	1	1	1	2	1	0	1
4	Social Movements in industrial & developing societies	1	1	2	1	0	1	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	0
5	Globalisation: Responses from societies	1	0	0	0	2	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	1	1
6	Approaches to IR: Idealist, Realist, Marxist, etc.	1	2+2*	3	3	1	1	2	2	1	1	2	2	2	2
7	Key concepts of IR: Interest, Security, Power, BoP	2	4	3	1	1	2	0	1	1	1	0	3	0	1
8	Transnational actors & Globalisation	0	0	2	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
9	Changing Order: Super powers, Cold War, Nuclear threat	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3
10	NAM: Aims, Objectives & Relevance	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	1	1	1	0	0	2	0
11	Collapse of USSR, Unipolarity & Hegemony	0	0	1*	0	1	2	1*	1*	1	1*	1	1	1	0
12	Evolution of IR Economic System: WTO, NIEO	0	0	3	0	1	1	0	1	1	2	0	1	0	1
13	United Nations: Role, Agencies & Reforms	2	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	0	2	0
14	Regionalisation: EU, ASEAN, SAARC, etc.	0	1	2	1	1	1	2	0	0	1	2	1	1	2
15	Global Concerns: HR, Democracy, SDGs	0	1	0	0	1*	0	0	1	1*+2	0	1	1	1	0
16	Environment	0	1	1	1	0	1	1	1	0	1	1	0	1	0
17	Gender Justice	0	0	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1
18	Nuclear Proliferation & Terrorism	1	1	2	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0

IMPORTANT OBSERVATION ON PAPER 2 STRUCTURE

As far as the Paper 2 is concerned, Section A and Section B are not strictly maintained by UPSC. For example, in 2013, there were only 6 to 7 questions on ‘India and World’ and that too appeared in Section A! All other questions were from Comparative Politics and IR. Even in other years, questions from ‘Comparative Politics and IR’ appeared in Section B. UPSC gives significantly more weight to Section A topics. In our analysis, we have grouped these questions logically by topic for your convenience, regardless of which section they originally appeared in.

Using This Table for Success:

Consistent Themes: Approaches to IR, Key Concepts, and Comparative Politics are asked almost every year. Master these first.
Strategic Themes: Globalisation, UN, and Regionalisation appear sporadically but carry high marks when they do.
Low-Yield Caution: NAM, Transnational Actors, and Gender Justice have seen lower weightage recently, but keep basic notes ready for surprises.

Use this data to fine-tune your preparation. Spend more time on high-yield topics and revise moderate zones strategically.

"To gain sharper insights into the current trend, the last eight years' question papers have been analysed separately below."

📘 PSIR Paper 2 – Section A (2017–2024)

Detailed sub-topic analysis of questions asked in the last 8 years.

TOPIC	SUB-TOPIC (YEAR)
1. Comparative politics: nature and approaches. Political economy and political sociology perspectives. Limitations of comparative method. North-south concept	🔹 Interpretive approach (2024) 🔹 Political-sociological approach & limitations (2017) 🔹 Political economy approach (2021, 2018) 🔹 Comparative method & limitations (2022, 2019, 2020) 🔹 North-South divide (2023, 2021)
2. State in comparative perspective: Characteristics and changing nature of the state in capitalist and socialist economies, advanced industrial & developing societies	🔹 Changing nature of state in developing societies (2018) 🔹 Post-modern state in advanced capitalist societies (2024) 🔹 State in capitalist/socialist economies (2019, 2021)
3. Politics of representation and Participation: Political parties, Pressure groups in advanced industrial and developing societies	🔹 Political parties in developing societies (2024) 🔹 Pressure groups (2021) 🔹 Political participation & identity (2018) 🔹 Role of political parties & pressure groups in democracy (2017)
4. Social Movements in advanced industrial and developing societies	🔹 Women’s movements and physical rights (2024) 🔹 New social movements (2019) 🔹 LGBT movement & participation (2017) 🔹 Social movements & democracy (2022)
5. Globalisation: Responses from developed and developing societies	🔹 Deglobalisation (2024) 🔹 Globalisation & Global South (2020) 🔹 Impact on developing countries (2023, 2022, 2017) 🔹 Globalisation & inclusive growth (2018)
6. Approaches to the study of international relations. Idealist, Realist, Marxist, Functionalist and Systems theory	🔹 Idealist approach & relevance (2024, 2020) 🔹 Realist vs Classical Realism (2017) 🔹 Functionalist approach (2023, 2018) 🔹 Systems theory via Gramscian/Neo-realism (2024, 2021) 🔹 Marxist approach (2019, 2021, 2022)
7. Key concepts of IR: National interest, security and power; Balance of Power and deterrence	🔹 National interest (2022) 🔹 Balance of power (2020) 🔹 Offensive & defensive realism (2023) 🔹 Deterrence (2019)
8. Transnational actors and collective security; World capitalist economy and globalisation	🔹 Collective security (2022, 2020) 🔹 Transnational actors & interdependence (2021) 🔹 World capitalist economy & WTO (2023, 2024)
9. Changing International Political Order: Super powers, Bipolarity, Cold War, Nuclear threat	🔹 Changing global order & disarmament (2024) 🔹 Cold War & Third Force (2023) 🔹 Collapse of bipolarity & multipolar world (2022, 2021, 2019) 🔹 Nuclear threat & American hegemony (2019, 2021)
10. NAM: Aims, Objectives & Relevance	🔹 NAM’s relevance/failure (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2023) 🔹 Soft power via NAM (2023)
11. Collapse of Soviet Union, Unipolarity and American hegemony	🔹 American hegemony: Constraints & decline (2021, 2023) 🔹 Post-cold war order (2022, 2024)
12. Evolution of International Economic System: Brettonwoods to WTO, NIEO	🔹 WTO crisis, sanctions (2024) 🔹 NIEO (2022, 2020, 2018, 2023) 🔹 WTO & India’s clout (2024, 2023)
13. United Nations: Role, Specialized Agencies, UN Reforms	🔹 UN Security Council structure (2023) 🔹 UN reforms & specialised agencies (2020, 2021)
14. Regionalisation of World Politics: EU, ASEAN, APEC, SAARC, NAFTA	🔹 EU success and challenges (2024, 2023, 2021, 2019) 🔹 ASEAN integration (2020, 2021) 🔹 NAFTA & USMCA (2024, 2017)
15. Contemporary Global Concerns: HR, Democracy, SDGs	🔹 Human rights & SDGs (2019, 2021) 🔹 Women in conflict (2018) 🔹 Democracy promotion in developing countries (2019)
16. Environment	🔹 Climate change, UNFCCC (2020, 2017) 🔹 North-South divide on climate politics (2018) 🔹 COP-26 and India’s 5 proposals (2021)
17. Gender Justice	🔹 Women’s physical rights movements (2024) 🔹 UN Resolution 1325 – Women’s security (2018) 🔹 Feminist critique of global issues (2017)
18. Nuclear Proliferation, Terrorism	🔹 NPT & India’s stand (2022, 2023, 2024) 🔹 Nuclear deterrence (2019) 🔹 International terrorism conventions (2022)

ANALYSIS OF PAPER 2

II.2. SECTION B - INDIA AND THE WORLD

Alright students, before you jump into the table below, let’s understand what it’s telling us — because this is not just a set of numbers. It’s a map of UPSC’s priorities in international affairs — and if you learn to read it right, it can sharpen your preparation in no time. This table tracks how many questions have been asked each year from the 13 key topics in Section B — all of which are part of your India’s foreign policy syllabus.

Topic-wise Question Distribution (2011 - 2024)

S.No	Topics	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
1	India’s Foreign policy: Determinants, Institutions, Recent developments	2	2	2	2	2	1	1	4	3	1	2	3	2	1
2	India’s contribution to NAM: Phases & Current role	1	0	0	1	1	1	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	1
3	India and its neighbours (Part of India & South Asia)	0	1	0	1	1	1	2	0	0	2	1	2	0	3
4	India and South Asia: Regional Co-operation, SAARC, Look East	1	1	0	1	0	1	1	2	1	1	1	1	1	1
5	Impediments to South Asian regional cooperation: Border, Water, Migration	1	1	0	0	2	1	0	1	0	1	1	1	1	0
6	India and Global south: Africa, Latin America, NIEO, WTO	0	0	1	0	1	0	2	3	1	1	2	1	3	2
7	India and Global Centers of Power: USA and Russia	1	0	0	2	1	1	2	1	1	1	2	1	1	2
8	India and European Union	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
9	India – Japan – China	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	3	2	1	1	1	1
10	India and the UN system: Peace keeping, Security council seat	0	0	1	2	1	1	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
11	India & the Nuclear Question: Perceptions & policy	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	0	1	1	0	1	1	1
12	India’s position in recent crisis: West Asia, Israel, Afghanistan	1	0	0	2	3	0	1	1	2	2	1	1	3	1
13	India and New World Order	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	1	1	0	0

🔍 From the Table, You Can Understand:

✅ India’s General Foreign Policy (Topic 1) is the king of Section B. It appears every single year — contribution 2 to 4 questions. This is your non-negotiable area.

📈 Emerging Zones: Topics like "India and Global South", "India–Japan–China", and "India’s Role in Global Crises" are steadily gaining ground in the last 6–7 years.

🔁 Cyclical Trends: SAARC and Neighbours disappear for a year or two and then come back stronger. You cannot ignore them given the changing geopolitics.

⚠️ Rare Topics: India and EU or New World Order appear rarely, but stay on the radar as UPSC loves to throw curveballs from these areas.

💥 Staple Concepts: NAM, UN, and Nuclear Policy are never truly out of the game. They provide the framework for other answers. Prepare them concise and current.

To gain sharper insights into the current trend, the last eight years' question papers have been analysed separately below.

📘 PSIR Paper 2 – Section B (2017–2024)

TOPIC	SUB-TOPIC (YEAR)
1. India’s Foreign policy: Determinants, Institutions, Recent developments	Nehruvianism to Neoliberalism (2024, 2018); Determinants (2023, 2017); Institutions (2020); Strategic culture (2018); Public diplomacy (2022); Energy security: Indo-US BECA (2022); Look East to Act East (2021, 2018); Indo-Pacific & Look West (2023, 2024); Asia-Pacific vs Indo-Pacific (2024)
2. India’s contribution to NAM. Different phases. Current role	NAM relevance and limitations (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2023); Soft power through NAM (2023); Multi-alignment replacing NAM (2024); Non-alignment 1.0 vs 2.0 (2019)
3. India and its neighbours	Bhutan-China tensions (2024); India-Sri Lanka-China triangle (2024); India-Myanmar Free Movement (2024); India-Bangladesh hydro cooperation (2022, 2020); Rohingya issue (2017, 2018, 2021, 2024); Border disputes (2023, 2021, 2024)
4. India and South Asia Regional Cooperation	SAARC prospects (2018, 2020, 2024); Lack of ‘regionness’ (2023); BIMSTEC, ASEAN engagement (2021); Regional cooperation impediments (2023, 2017)
5. Impediments to South Asian regional cooperation	Water disputes & migration (2017, 2020, 2022, 2024); Ethnic conflicts in NE (2024, 2021); Regional peace impediments (2023)
6. India and Global south	India-Africa relations (2017, 2020, 2023); South-South Cooperation: RIS, ITEC (2018); WTO diplomacy & NIEO leadership (2022, 2023, 2024)
7. India and Global Centers of Power	India-USA strategic alignment (2019, 2020, 2023, 2024); Indo-US: close partners not formal allies (2024); Russia-India changing context (2023, 2017, 2020)
8. India and European Union	EU relations post-Brexit (2018, 2021)
9. India – Japan – China	India-China standoff & recalibration (2020, 2021); India-Japan strategic relations (2018, 2019); India-China trade & environment convergence (2018)
10. India and the UN system	UN peacekeeping contributions (2017, 2018, 2020, 2023); Permanent seat demand (2018, 2020, 2022); UNSC veto & semi-permanent idea (2024)
11. India & the Nuclear Question	No First Use & NPT refusal (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024); India's autonomous nuclear strategy (2018)
12. India’s position in the recent crisis	Afghanistan Taliban impact (2021, 2020, 2024); India-Israel convergence & Palestine (2017, 2018, 2019, 2024); West Asia Quad & Look West (2023); India-Iran ties (2023)
13. India and New World Order	India's evolving role (2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2024); Strategic autonomy (2019, 2023); India's balancing act: QUAD, Indo-Pacific, Africa (2021–2024)

🧭 How Should You Prepare Using This Table?

1. Start with the Top 5: Focus on Foreign Policy (1), Japan-China (9), Centers of Power (7), Crisis Engagement (12), and Global South (6).
2. Use Current Examples: For SAARC, UN, and NAM, link static theory with India’s recent diplomatic moves.
3. Micro-notes for Rare Areas: Keep brief notes on India-EU for last-minute revision to handle curveballs.
4. Recency Matters: If a topic like 'Neighbours' reappears after a gap, it's likely to remain in trend.

This table isn’t just to memorise numbers — it’s to help you predict patterns, prioritise topics, and prepare smart.

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AN INITIATIVE by Dr. M.V. Duraish. PhD.

ANALYSIS OF PAPER 1

Topic-wise Question Distribution (2011 - 2024)

🔥 High-Yield Topics (Most Frequently Asked – Must Master)

📉 Moderate-Yield Topics (Appear Off & On – Prepare Smartly)

🧊 Low-Yield Topics (Rarely Asked – Low Priority, Revise Last)

🎯 How to Use This Table for Your Preparation

I.2. SECTION B - INDIAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

1. Indian Nationalism

2. Indian Polity

3. Indian Politics

From the analysis, you can understand:

Topic-wise Question Distribution (2011 - 2024)

🔥 High-Focus Areas

📊 Moderate-Focus Areas

🧊 Low-Yield Areas

ANALYSIS OF PAPER 2

1. Comparative Politics

2. International Relations

Trend Analysis (2011–2024)

From the Trend Analysis, you can understand:

Year-wise Topic Distribution (2011 - 2024)

IMPORTANT OBSERVATION ON PAPER 2 STRUCTURE

Using This Table for Success:

"To gain sharper insights into the current trend, the last eight years' question papers have been analysed separately below."

📘 PSIR Paper 2 – Section A (2017–2024)

ANALYSIS OF PAPER 2

Topic-wise Question Distribution (2011 - 2024)

🔍 From the Table, You Can Understand:

📘 PSIR Paper 2 – Section B (2017–2024)

🧭 How Should You Prepare Using This Table?