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Polity · Political theory

Political Theory & Concepts: 70 previous year questions

UPSC has asked 70 questions on Political Theory & Concepts between 1979 and 2025: CDS 26 · CSE 24 · CAPF 16 · NDA 4. 45 of them came after 2015, so this is a live topic examiners keep returning to. 24 were set in Civil Services Prelims; the rest come from UPSC's other papers, which draw on the same question bank.

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Tap an option to check yourself. Answers follow the official UPSC key; where the key was dropped or disputed the question is not shown.

CDS2024 · 1Political Theory & Concepts

Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below the Lists : List-I (Political idea) List-II (Thinker)

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Answer A (official UPSC key)Verified fact to follow.
CDS2024 · 1Political Theory & Concepts

Which of the following statements are not correct? 1. In world politics, ―hard power‘ can be exercised by both States and other actors involving use of threat or coercion. 2. Globalisation is necessarily economic, not cultural. 3. The term Washington Consensus‘ refers to a policy that seeks intervention in the market. 4. ‗Autarky‘ is generally understood as economic ‗self-sufficiency‘. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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Answer B (official UPSC key)Verified fact to follow.
CDS2024 · 2Political Theory & Concepts

Which of the following are the components of the Indian Legal System ? 1. Basic values and principles enshrined in the Constitution 2. Rights and obligations conferred by ordinary statutes 3. Organizational set-up to enforce rights and obligations within the constitutional norms 4. Legal and judicial persons Select the answer using the code given below :

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Answer A (official UPSC key)Verified fact to follow.
CSE2021Political Theory & Concepts

Constitutional government means

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Answer D (official UPSC key)Verified fact to follow.
CSE2021Political Theory & Concepts

Which one of the following best defines the term ―State‖?

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Answer A (official UPSC key)Verified fact to follow.
CAPF2020Political Theory & Concepts

Which one of the following is NOT true of socialism ?

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Answer B (official UPSC key)Verified fact to follow.
CSE2020Political Theory & Concepts

A Parliamentary System of Government is one in which

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Answer B (official UPSC key)Verified fact to follow.
CDS2017 · 2Political Theory & Concepts

Which of the following statements about „delegation‟ is/ are correct? 1. It is the abdication of responsibility. 2. It means conferring of specified authority by a lower authority to a higher one. 3. It is subject to supervision and review. 4. It is a method of dividing authority in the organization. Select the correct answer using the code given below,

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Answer C (official UPSC key)Verified fact to follow.
CAPF2016Political Theory & Concepts

What is meant by Social Equality ?

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Answer C (official UPSC key)Verified fact to follow.
CDS2015 · 1Political Theory & Concepts

Parliamentary Democracy is one where 1. a balance of popular participation and elite rule takes place 2. the government is responsible not to the public but to the elected representatives. 3. the parliamentarians are delegated the responsibility of thinking and acting on behalf of their constituents. Select the correct answer using the code given below :

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Answer A (official UPSC key)Verified fact to follow.
CDS2014 · 2Political Theory & Concepts

Which of the following about the principles of Panchsheel are correct ? 1. These are a set of five principles governing relations between States 2. The assumption of Panchsheel was that newly independent States after decolonization would be able to develop a new and more principled approach to international relations 3. The first formal codification in treaty form was done in an agreement between China and India Select the correct answer using the code given below :

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Answer C (official UPSC key)Verified fact to follow.
CDS2013 · 1Political Theory & Concepts

India's Look East Policy was conceived in the early 1990s at a time when India was in the process of adjusting to the post-cold war watershed changes in the international geostrategic environment. The Look East Policy 1. reflects both historical imperatives and contemporary compulsion of the post-Cold War new world order 2. seeks to optimize India‘s synergies in the extended Asia- Pacific neighbourhood 3. has led to India‘s participation in Asia-Pacific forums like ASEAN, East Asia Summit, BIMSTEC and other institutions Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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Answer C (official UPSC key)Verified fact to follow.
CSE2013Political Theory & Concepts

In the context of India, which of the following principles is/are implied institutionally in the parliamentary government? 1. Members of the Cabinet are Members of the Parliament. 2. Ministers hold the office till they enjoy confidence in the Parliament. 3. The Cabinet is headed by the Head of the State. Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

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Answer A (official UPSC key)Verified fact to follow.
CDS2012 · 1Political Theory & Concepts

Take the case of dignity and equal rights for women. How do democracies help?

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Answer D (official UPSC key)Verified fact to follow.
CDS2012 · 2Political Theory & Concepts

What is/are the major difference/ differences between a written and an unwritten constitution? 1. A written constitution is the formal source of all constitutional laws in the country and the unwritten constitution is not the formal source. 2. A written constitution is entirely codified whereas an unwritten constitution is not. Select the correct answer using the code given below :

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Answer D (official UPSC key)Verified fact to follow.
CDS2012 · 2Political Theory & Concepts

Which of the following statements about features of Sanskritization is/are correct? 1. It refers to a process whereby members of a caste attempt to raise their own social status by adopting the rituals, domestic and social practices of a caste of higher status. 2. The practices which were usually chosen for emulation were adopting vegetarianism, wearing of sacred thread, specific prayers, religious ceremonies and so on. Select the correct answer using the code given below :

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Answer C (official UPSC key)Verified fact to follow.
CSE2012Political Theory & Concepts

Which of the following can be said to be essentially the parts of ‗Inclusive Governance‘? [2012 - I] 1. Permitting the Non-Banking Financial Companies to do banking 2. Establishing effective District Planning Committees in all the districts 3. Increasing the government spending on public health 4. Strengthening the Mid-day Meal Scheme Select the correct answer using the codes given below :

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Answer C (official UPSC key)Verified fact to follow.
CDS2011 · 2Political Theory & Concepts

There are different arguments given in favour of power sharing in a democratic political system. Which one of the following is not one of them ?

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Answer D (official UPSC key)Verified fact to follow.
CDS2010 · 2Political Theory & Concepts

Why is political power sharing through different levels of government desirable in a democracy? [2010-II] 1. It helps to reduce the possibility of conflict between various social groups. 2. It decreases the possibility of arbitrary decision-making. 3. It prompts people's participation at different levels of government. Select the correct answer using the codes given below

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Answer B (official UPSC key)Verified fact to follow.
CSE1981Political Theory & Concepts

What does secularism mean?

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Answer C (official UPSC key)Verified fact to follow.