GS Paper 1 Previous Year Questions Topic Wise for UPSC Mains (2023-2015)
By BYJU'S Exam Prep
Updated on: November 14th, 2023
UPSC GS Paper 1 Previous Year Questions are put up from 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 carry out their Mains preparation in the right direction.
The entire list of GS Paper 1 Mains questions will help you to identify the difficulty level and the nature of the questions asked in the UPSC Mains exam. This 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 PYQ UPSC Mains (2023 – 2015)
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3.
GS Paper 1 Previous Year Questions of History
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4.
GS Paper 1 Previous Year Question Papers – Art and Culture
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5.
GS Paper 1 Previous Year Questions of Geography
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6.
UPSC Mains GS1 Previous Year Questions: Indian Society
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7.
How to Prepare GS Paper 1 Previous Year Questions?
GS Paper 1 Previous Year Questions – UPSC Mains
The best way to start preparing for the GS paper 1 syllabus for the upcoming Civil Services examination is by going through the UPSC Mains question paper provided. These will help candidates to design an apt study strategy to cover all important topics included under each subject.
The major topics from which GS paper 1 previous year questions are generally asked include 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
- 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 PYQ UPSC Mains (2023 – 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 developing interest in 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 for the years 2022 to 2015 to be better prepared for the upcoming exam.
| Year | GS Paper 1 Previous Year Questions PDF Link |
| 2022 | GS Paper 1 Questions 2022 PDF |
| 2021 | GS Paper 1 Previous Year Questions 2021 PDF |
| 2020 | GS1 Previous Year Questions 2020 PDF |
| 2019 | GS Paper 1 Previous Year Questions 2019 PDF |
| 2018 | UPSC Mains GS 1 PYQ 2018 PDF |
| 2017 | GS Paper 1 Previous Year Questions 2017 PDF |
| 2016 | UPSC Mains GS Paper 1 PYQ 2016 PDF |
| 2015 | GS Paper 1 Previous Year Questions 2015 PDF |
GS Paper 1 Previous Year Questions of History
History is an important subject for both UPSC Prelims and Mains exams. 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 date;
- World History;
- The freedom struggle of India;
- The post-Independence period in India including the reorganization of states;
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.
| 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 |
GS Paper 1 Previous Year Questions of Geography
The UPSC Mains GS Paper 1 previous year questions from the Geography subject are raised from topics like 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 trend of the number of GS Paper 1 Mains previous year questions of Geography in the following table:
| GS Paper 1 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 illustrates the number of GS paper 1 previous year questions asked related to 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 |
How to Prepare GS Paper 1 Previous Year Questions?
Since Mains is a descriptive exam, sometimes it becomes difficult for candidates to know the type of questions being asked. But with the help of GS1 previous year questions analysis, one can get to know the difficulty level and the nature of the questions asked in the paper. Practicing through GS Paper 1 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.
GS Paper 1 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.
