GS 1 · Practice archive
GS Paper 1 practice questions for UPSC Mains 2026.
Indian Heritage and Culture, History, Geography, Indian Society.
GS Paper 1 · Tips & tricks
GS-1 — write with dates, places, persons and primary sources
- Name the historians, name the reports.GS-1 rewards specificity — cite Bipan Chandra, R.S. Sharma, Romila Thapar, the Hunter Commission, the Sarkaria report, etc. by name rather than as "historians say".
- Use a sketch map for Geography.A rough map labelled with the named feature (river, mountain, basin) earns marks even if your prose is average.
- Distinguish cause, course, consequence.Most history questions reward a three-part structure. Don't merge them into one narrative blob.
- Indian Society needs data + lived examples.Pair NFHS / Census / PLFS numbers with a named community, region or scheme — not abstract sociology.
- Beware the "discuss" trap.When the directive is "discuss", give multiple perspectives. When it is "examine", weigh evidence. When it is "evaluate", deliver a verdict.
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