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GS 2 · Practice archive

GS Paper 2 practice questions for UPSC Mains 2026.

Polity, Constitution, Governance, Social Justice and International Relations.

20 Qs / 250 marks426 questionsModel outlines included

GS Paper 2 · Tips & tricks

GS-2 — anchor every claim to an article, a judgment or a body

  1. Quote the Article number first.Article 200, Article 356, Article 14 — naming the constitutional provision in the first line of the body signals competence.
  2. Pair a judgment with the principle it laid down.S.R. Bommai (federalism), Kesavananda Bharati (basic structure), Vishaka (workplace harassment) — use them as shorthand, not lectures.
  3. Use the institution's real name.Not "election body" — Election Commission of India. Not "human rights body" — National Human Rights Commission. Not "the audit body" — CAG.
  4. For Governance, cite a real scheme + a real number.PM-KISAN beneficiaries, Aadhaar coverage %, MGNREGA person-days, DBT savings — concrete metrics anchor your point.
  5. IR answers need three verbs: convergence, divergence, balance.Every bilateral relationship has all three. Show all three in the same answer.
Q.115 marks · 250w 14 min Easy

The Indian Constitution has provisions for holding joint session of the two Houses of the Parliament. Enumerate the occasions when this would normally happen and also the occasions when it cannot, with reason thereof.

Subtopic: Constitution & Polity · Parliament

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Introduction → Article 108 mechanism and presiding arrangement → Occasions when a joint sitting is summoned: rejection, final disagreement, six-month lapse → Occasions when it cannot be held: Money Bills and Constitution Amendment Bills, with reasons → Instances of actual use → Conclusion
Key points
  • Article 108 — joint sitting summoned by the President to resolve deadlock on ordinary bills
  • Three triggering occasions: rejection by the other House, final disagreement on amendments, six months' lapse without passage
  • Speaker of the Lok Sabha presides (Article 118(4)); Deputy Speaker, then Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha in absence
  • No joint sitting for Money Bills — Rajya Sabha has only 14-day recommendatory power, so deadlock cannot arise
  • No joint sitting for Constitution Amendment Bills — Article 368 requires each House to pass separately by special majority, a federal safeguard
  • Bill lapses if Lok Sabha dissolves before notification of joint sitting; a notified sitting survives dissolution
  • Only three joint sittings held in practice, showing its role as a last-resort device

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Q.215 marks · 250w 14 min Easy

“The Attorney-General is the chief legal adviser and lawyer of the Government of India.” Discuss.

Subtopic: Constitution & Polity · Attorney-General of India

Show model answer outline
Introduction → Article 76: appointment, qualification, tenure during pleasure → Role as chief legal adviser to the Government → Role as the government's lawyer: right of audience, Article 143 references, Article 88 rights → Limitations: private practice conditions, non-Cabinet status, conventions → Conclusion
Key points
  • Article 76: appointed by the President; must be qualified to be a Supreme Court judge; holds office during the President's pleasure; remuneration as the President determines.
  • Advises the Government on legal matters referred by the President and performs assigned duties of a legal character.
  • Right of audience in all courts (Article 76(3)); represents the Union in Supreme Court cases and Article 143 references.
  • Article 88: may speak in either House and parliamentary committees without voting; enjoys MP privileges under Article 105(4).
  • Conventional restrictions: no advice or brief against the Government, no defence of criminal accused or company directorship without permission.
  • Not a Cabinet member; conventionally resigns with the government — a political appointment carrying professional obligations of independence.

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Q.315 marks · 250w 14 min Easy

What are environmental pressure groups? Discuss their role in raising awareness, influencing policies and advocating for environmental protection in India.

Subtopic: Governance · pressure groups & environmental advocacy

Show model answer outline
Introduction: define environmental pressure groups → Awareness-raising role with examples → Policy influence: research advocacy, litigation, public consultation → Ground-level protection movements → Limitations and criticisms → Conclusion: partners in environmental democracy
Key points
  • Definition: organized groups pursuing environmental objectives by influencing policy from outside electoral politics — through advocacy, mobilization, research, litigation and consumer campaigns.
  • Awareness role: CSE publications and exposés, KSSP's science movement, media campaigns on air quality and plastic waste.
  • Policy influence: Silent Valley cancellation, CNG buses via M.C. Mehta PILs, pushback on draft EIA 2020, BS-VI leapfrog advocacy.
  • Judicial route: PILs and NGT petitions; Vanashakti v. Union of India (2025) — Supreme Court barred ex post facto environmental clearances.
  • Protection on the ground: Chipko, Appiko, Narmada Bachao Andolan, Save Aarey, Niyamgiri gram sabha (2013), anti-Sterlite mobilization (2018).
  • Limitations: FCRA and funding curbs, anti-development labelling, urban bias, episodic engagement, occasional weak scientific grounding.
  • Conclusion: they deepen participatory environmental governance under Articles 48A and 51A(g); institutionalized consultation beats adversarial treatment.

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