ESSAY
Simplified Programme
By Shubhra Ranjan
Secure 150+ in Essay
Paper
DECONSTRUCTION OF
THE UPSC SYLLABUS
DECONSTRUCTION OF THE UPSC SYLLABUS
Essay: Candidates may be required to write essays on multiple topics. They will be expected to keep
closely to the subject of the essay to arrange their ideas in orderly fashion, and to write concisely.
Credit will be given for effective and exact expression.
Demand of the UPSC Meaning
Multiple topics *
See PYQ syllabus
Keep closely to the subject Stay focused on the topic throughout your essay.
• No peripheral ideas
• Relevance with multi-dimensionality
• Clarity and precision
• Conciseness, preciseness and succinctness.
Arrange their ideas in orderly fashion Logical Structure and flow
• Introduction that sets the stage
• Body paragraphs for arguments
• Conclusion that ties everything together.
• Coherence and smooth transitions
• Hierarchy of Ideas: Most important points first
with relevant details and examples.
• Clarity in each paragraph and not mixing multiple
• Consistent tone and style throughout the essay
Write concisely • Brevity and avoid verbosity
• Impactful and engaging
• Small, Clear and straightforward ideas
Effective expression • Strong, powerful and impactful ideas
• Enhance the readability
• Each paragraph focus on a single point
Exact expression • Avoid ambiguity
• Use specific words
• Correct grammar
• Small and clear sentences
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TOPIC-WISE PREVIOUS YEARS' ESSAY TOPICS
A. India, its polity and Governance
1. Water disputes between States in federal India. -2016
2. Cooperative federalism: Myth or reality. -2016
3. Dreams which should not let India sleep. -2015
4. Fifty Golds in Olympics: Can this be a reality for India? -2014
5. Was it the policy paralysis or the paralysis of implementation which slowed the
growth of our country? -2014
6. Is the Colonial mentality hindering India’s Success? -2013
7. In the context of Gandhiji’s views on the matter, explore, on an evolutionary scale,
the terms ‘Swadhinata’, ‘Swaraj’ and ‘Dharmarajya’. Critically comment on their
contemporary relevance to Indian democracy -2012
8. Creation of smaller states and the consequent administrative, economic and
developmental implications -2011
9. Preparedness of our society for India’s global leadership role. -2010
10. National Identity and Patriotism -2008
11. Evaluation of the Panchayati raj system in India from the point of view of eradication
of power to people. -2007
12. Food security for sustainable national Development -2005
13. Justice must reach the poor -2005
14. Judicial activism and Indian democracy. -2004
15. Water resources should be under the control of the central government. -2004
16. How should a civil servant conduct himself? -2003
17. How far has democracy in India delivered the goods? -2003
18. What have we gained from our democratic set-up? -2001
19. Why should we be proud of being Indians? -2000
B. Indian Society, culture and values
1. From traditional Indian philanthropy to the gates-buffet model -a natural progression
or a paradigm shift? -2010
2. Modernism and our traditional socio-ethical values. -2000
C. Social Justice
1. A society that has more justice is a society that needs less charity. -2023
2. There can be no social justice without economic prosperity but economic prosperity
without social justice is meaningless. -2020
3. Best for an individual is not necessarily best for society. -2019
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TOPIC-WISE PREVIOUS YEARS' ESSAY TOPICS
4. Poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere. -2018
D. Economy and Development
1. Impact of the new economic measures on fiscal ties between the union and states
in India. -2017
2. Farming has lost the ability to be a source of subsistence for the majority of farmers
in India. -2017
3. Digital economy: A leveller or a source of economic inequality. -2016
4. Near jobless growth in India: An anomaly or an outcome of economic reforms. -2016
5. Crisis faced in India – moral or economic. -2015
6. Can capitalism bring inclusive growth? -2015
7. GDP (Gross Domestic Product) along with GDH (Gross Domestic Happiness) would
be the right indices for judging the well-being of a country. -2013
8. Innovation is the key determinant of economic growth and social welfare. -2016
9. Are our traditional handicrafts doomed to a slow death? - 2009
10. Urbanisation and its hazards -2008
11. Special economic zone: boon or bane. -2008
E. Gender Justice and Women's Empowerment
1. Girls are weighed down by restrictions, boys with demands – two equally harmful
disciplines. -2023
2. Patriarchy is the least noticed yet the most significant structure of social inequality.
-2020
3. The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. -2021
4. Fulfilment of ‘new woman’ in India is a myth. -2017
5. If development is not engendered, it is endangered. -2016
6. Managing work and home – is the Indian working woman getting a fair deal? - 2012
7. The Women’s Reservation Bill would usher in empowerment for women in India. -
2006
8. If women ruled the world -2005
9. The hand that rocks the cradle -2005
10. Whither women’s emancipation? -2004
11. Empowerment alone cannot help our women. -2001
F. Environment
1. Forests precede mankind; deserts follow. -2024
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TOPIC-WISE PREVIOUS YEARS' ESSAY TOPICS
2. Forests are the best-case studies for economic excellence. –2022
3. Alternative technologies for a climate change resilient India. -2018
4. Should a moratorium be imposed on all fresh mining in tribal areas of the country? -
2010
5. Protection of ecology and the environment is essential for sustained economic
development. -2006
G. Science-Technology
1. The doubter is a true man of science. -2024
2. What is research, but a blind date with knowledge! -2021
3. The process of self-discovery has now been technologically outsourced. -2021
4. Rise of Artificial Intelligence: the threat of a jobless future or better job
opportunities through reskilling and upskilling. -2019
5. Cyberspace and Internet: Blessing or curse to the human civilization in the long run.
-2016
6. Technology cannot replace manpower. -2015
7. Science and technology is the panacea for the growth and security of the nation. -
2013
8. Science and Mysticism: Are they compatible? 2012
9. Increasing computerisation would lead to the creation of a dehumanized society. -
2006
10. Spirituality and scientific temper. -2003
11. Modern technological education and human values. -2002
H. Education
1. The Empires of the future will be the empires of the mind. -2024
2. Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in – school.
-2023
3. The destiny of a nation is shaped in its classrooms. -2017
4. Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make a man a more
clever devil. -2015
5. Are standardised tests a good measure of academic ability or progress? -2014
6. Credit–based higher education system –status, opportunities and challenges. -2011
7. Is an egalitarian society possible by educating the masses? -2008
8. Independent thinking should be encouraged right from childhood. -2007
9. What is real education? -2005
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TOPIC-WISE PREVIOUS YEARS' ESSAY TOPICS
10. Privatization of higher education in India. -2002
11. Irrelevance of the classroom. -2001
I. Health
1. Neglect of primary health care and education in India are reasons for its
backwardness. -2019
2. The focus of health care is increasingly getting skewed towards the ‘haves’ of our
society. -2009
J. Youth
1. Social media is Triggering ‘Fear of Missing Out’ amongst the youth, precipitating
depression and loneliness. -2024
2. Is the growing level of competition good for the youth? -2014
3. Discipline means success, anarchy means ruin. -2008
4. If youth knew if age could. -2002
K. Philosophical/Ethical/Quote-based/Reflective
1. All ideas having large consequences are always simple. - 2024
2. The cost of being wrong is less than the cost of doing nothing. - 2024
3. There is no path to happiness; happiness is the path. - 2024
4. Nearly all men can stand adversity, but to test the character, give him power.- 2024
5. Visionary decision-making happens at the intersection of intuition and logic. -2023
6. Not all who wander are lost. – 2023
7. Inspiration for creativity springs from the effort to look for the magical in the mundane
– 2023
8. Thinking is like a game; it does not begin unless there is an opposite team. -2023
9. Mathematics is the music of reason. – 2023
10. You cannot step twice in the same river. – 2022
11. The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining. -2022
12. A ship in the harbour is safe, but that is not what the ship is for. -2022
13. Just because you have a choice, it does not mean that any of them has to be. -2022
14. A smile is the chosen vehicle for all ambiguities. – 2022
15. The real is rational and the rational is real. -2021
16. History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce. -2021
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TOPIC-WISE PREVIOUS YEARS' ESSAY TOPICS
17. The philosophy of want lessness is utopian, while materialism is a chimera. -2021
18. Your perception of me is a reflection of you; my reaction to you is an awareness of
me. -2021
19. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. -2020
20. Culture is what we are, civilization is what we have. - 2020
21. A Mindful manifesto is the catalyst to a tranquil self. -2020
22. Ships don’t sink because of water around them ships sink because of water that gets
into them. -2020
23. Life is a long journey between being human and being humane. -2020
24. Values are not what humanity is, but what humanity ought to be. -2019
25. Wisdom finds truth. -2019
26. Courage to accept and dedication to improve are two keys to success. -2019
27. ‘The past’ is a permanent dimension of human consciousness and values. -2018
28. A good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge. -2018
29. Reality does not conform to the ideal but confirms it. -2018
30. A people that values its privileges above its principles loses both. -2018
31. Customary morality cannot be a guide to modern life. -2018
32. We may brave human laws but cannot resist natural laws. -2017
33. Joy is the simplest form of gratitude. -2017
34. Need brings greed, if greed increases it spoils breed. -2016
35. Lending hands to someone is better than giving a dole. -2015
36. Quick but steady wins the race. -2015
37. The character of an institution is reflected in its leader. -2015
38. With greater power comes greater responsibility. -2014
39. Words are sharper than a two-edged sword. -2014
40. Be the change you want to see in others (Gandhi)-2013
41. There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so. -2003
42. The search for truth can only be a spiritual problem. -2002
43. The paths of glory lead but to the grave. -2002
44. The pursuit of excellence. -2001
L. International Relations and Internal Security
1. Technology as the silent factor in international relations- 2020
2. South Asian societies are woven not around the state, but around their plural
cultures and plural identities- 2019
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TOPIC-WISE PREVIOUS YEARS' ESSAY TOPICS
3. Management of the Indian border dispute is a complex task. -2018
4. Has the Non-Alignment Movement lost its relevance in a multipolar world? - 2017
5. In the Indian context, both human intelligence and technical intelligence are crucial
in combating terrorism. -2011
6. Are we a ‘soft’ state? -2009
7. Good fences make good neighbours. -2009
8. Is autonomy the best answer to combat balkanization? -2007
9. Globalization would finish small-scale industries in India. -2006
10. Terrorism and world peace -2005
M. Media/cinema
1. Biased media is a real threat to Indian democracy. -2019
2. ‘Social media’ is inherently a selfish medium. -2017
3. Does Indian cinema shape our popular culture or merely reflect it? -2011
4. Role of media in good governance -2008
5. How has satellite television brought about cultural change in Indian mindsets? -2007
6. Responsibility of media in a democracy. -2002
N. Misc.
1. Tourism: Can this be the next big thing for India? – 2014
2. Is sting operation an invasion of privacy? -2014
3. Geography may remain the same; history need not. -2010
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