GS Paper 1 Previous Year Questions – Check UPSC Mains GS Paper 1 PYQ [2022-2015]
By Balaji
Updated on: March 6th, 2023
UPSC GS Paper 1 Previous Year Questions include topics such as Indian and World History, Climate, Indian Culture, Poverty, Communalism, Urbanization, Secularism, etc. Practicing topic-wise questions asked on the General Studies Paper 1 in the IAS Mains exams help candidates to prepare in the right direction.
These GS Paper 1 Mains questions will help you to identify the difficulty level and the nature of the questions asked in the UPSC Mains. The article exhaustively covers the UPSC Mains GS Paper 1 Previous Year Questions, along with a detailed analysis of the number of questions asked from each topic.
Table of content
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1. GS Paper 1 Previous Year Questions – UPSC Mains
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2. GS Paper 1 Previous Year Questions [2022 – 2015]
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3. GS1 Previous Year Questions – History
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4. GS Paper 1 Previous Year Question Papers – Art and Culture
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5. UPSC Mains GS Paper 1 PYQs – Geography
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6. UPSC Mains GS1 Previous Year Questions: Indian Society
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7. UPSC Mains GS Paper 1 PYQs – Approach
GS Paper 1 Previous Year Questions – UPSC Mains
The best way to start preparing for the GS paper 1 syllabus for the upcoming UPSC Civil Services examination is by going through the previous year’s questions provided here. These will help candidates to design an apt study strategy to cover all important topics under each subject.
The major topics from which GS paper 1 previous year questions are generally asked are History, Geography, Indian Society, and Art and Culture. The direct links to download GS1 previous year questions topic-wise for UPSC Mains are as follows:
- GS1 Previous Year Questions of History
- UPSC Mains GS Paper 1 Geography Questions
- Topic Wise GS1 Previous Year Questions of Art and Culture
- GS Paper 1 Previous Year Questions of Indian Society
To score well in the UPSC Mains, candidates can also check the topic-wise GS previous year questions of other papers as well:
- Topic Wise GS 2 Previous Year Questions
- Topic Wise GS 3 Previous Year Questions
- Topic Wise GS 4 Previous Year Questions
GS Paper 1 Previous Year Questions [2022 – 2015]
UPSC Exam never fails to surprise aspirants with varying question patterns and trends. Examining previous year’s question papers is the simplest method for assessing interest for the Mains General Studies 1 paper. You can develop a plan to begin your preparation using the topic-by-topic questions from Mains GS Paper 1.
Download the year-wise GS Paper 1 previous year questions PDF from 2022 to 2015 here to be better prepared for the upcoming exam.
GS1 Previous Year Questions – History
History is an important subject for both UPSC Prelims and Mains exams. Candidates can check the detailed analysis of the number of GS Paper 1 previous year questions of History asked from 2013 to 2022 in the table below.
After completing the UPSC history syllabus, aspirants must check the sectional weightage of topics asked in the UPSC Mains GS Paper 1. The History GS 1 previous year questions are asked from the following topics:
- Important events, personalities, etc. in Indian History from mid 18th century till present
- World History
- The freedom struggle of India
- The post-Independence period in India including the reorganization of states
| Topic Wise GS Paper 1 Previous Year Questions – History | ||||
| Year | Freedom Struggle | Post Independence | World History | Total Number of Questions |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2019 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 2018 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 2017 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 2016 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| 2013 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 12 |
GS Paper 1 Previous Year Question Papers – Art and Culture
Art and Culture subject consists of questions from subtopics like different art forms and literature in India, ancient to modern architecture, etc. The detailed analysis of the number of GS 1 previous year questions of Art and Culture in UPSC Mains from 2013 to 2022 are as follows:
| Topic Wise GS Paper 1 Previous Year Questions – Art and Culture | |
| Year | Number of Questions |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2020 | 4 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2015 | 2 |
| 2014 | 4 |
| 2013 | 3 |
UPSC Mains GS Paper 1 PYQs – Geography
UPSC Mains GS Paper 1 previous year’s questions in Geography consist of questions from the following topics including Industrialization and Urbanization, Climate, Physical Geography, Natural resources, Indian and World Geography, etc. Generally, 5-8 questions are asked from Geography in the UPSC Mains GS paper 1.
Check the trends of the number of GS Paper 1 Mains previous year questions of Geography in the following table:
| GS1 Mains Previous Year Questions – Geography | |
| Year | Number of Questions |
| 2022 | 9 |
| 2021 | 8 |
| 2020 | 8 |
| 2019 | 8 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2017 | 6 |
| 2016 | 9 |
| 2015 | 7 |
| 2014 | 10 |
| 2013 | 12 |
UPSC Mains GS1 Previous Year Questions: Indian Society
GS1 PYQ UPSC Mains of Indian Society is mainly from the topics such as the role of women in society, issues faced by them, diversity in Indian society, poverty, globalization, communalism, secularism, etc. The following table presents the number of GS paper 1 previous year questions of Indian Society from 2013 to 2022:
| GS1 Previous Year Questions – Indian Society | |
| Year | Number of Questions |
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2020 | 6 |
| 2019 | 10 |
| 2018 | 11 |
| 2017 | 7 |
| 2016 | 6 |
| 2015 | 6 |
| 2014 | 5 |
| 2013 | 6 |
UPSC Mains GS Paper 1 PYQs – Approach
Since UPSC Mains is a descriptive exam, sometimes it becomes difficult for candidates to know the type of questions being asked. But with the help of GS Paper 1 previous year’s questions analysis, one can get to know the difficulty level and the nature of the questions asked in the paper. Practicing through GS1 previous year questions is the best way to study for UPSC Mains as it provides a direction upon which candidates should work.
The four main subjects in UPSC Mains GS Paper 1 and their subtopics are as follows:
- History – Modern Indian History and World History
- Art and Culture – Indian Art forms, Heritage, Literature, etc.
- Indian Society – Social empowerment, diversity in society, secularism, communism, women empowerment, poverty, etc
- Geography – Human and Physical Geography, Climatology, Geomorphology, Oceanology, etc.
GS1 previous year questions from these topics must be studied carefully, along with solving of multiple full-length Mock Tests of any reputed coaching institute to score well in the exam.
