UPSC Mains Essay Paper

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Every UPSC Mains Essay Paper topic, Section A & Section B, from 2013 to 2025 — in one place.

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Section A

Q1. Oxymorons reflect the ironies of life.
Q2. A grateful mind is very beautiful.
Q3. A thorn is a changed bud.
Q4. When two elephants fight, it is the grass that gets trampled.

Section B

Q1. Nature is the symbol of the spirit.
Q2. A well-educated mind will always have more questions than answers.
Q3. Shelving hard decisions is the least ethical course.
Q4. A good leader is one who follows the followers.

Section A

Q1. Truth knows no color. Framework
Q2. The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. Framework
Q3. Thought finds a world and creates one also. Framework
Q4. Best lessons are learnt through bitter experiences. Framework

Section B

Q1. Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone. Framework
Q2. The years teach much which the days never know. Framework
Q3. It is best to see life as a journey, not as a destination. Framework
Q4. Contentment is natural wealth; luxury is artificial poverty. Framework

Section A

Q1. Forests precede civilizations and deserts follow them.
Q2. The empires of the futures will be the empires of the mind.
Q3. There is no path to happiness, Happiness is the path Framework
Q4. The doubter is a true man of science.

Section B

Q1. Social media is triggering 'Fear of Missing Out' amongst the youth precipitating depression and loneliness.
Q2. Nearly all men can stand adversity, but to test the character, give him power.
Q3. All ideas having large consequences are always simple. Framework
Q4. The cost of being wrong is less than the cost of doing nothing

Section A

Q1. Thinking is like a game, it does not begin unless there is an opposite team.
Q2. Visionary decision-making happens at the intersection of intuition and logic.
Q3. Not all who wander are lost.
Q4. Inspiration for creativity springs from the effort to look for the magical in the mundane.

Section B

Q1. Girls are weighed down by restrictions, boys with demands – two equally harmful disciplines.
Q2. Mathematics is the music of reason
Q3. A society that has more justice is a society that needs less charity.
Q4. Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.

Section A

Q1. Forests are the best case studies for economic excellence
Q2. Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world
Q3. History is a series of victories won by the scientific man over the romantic man
Q4. A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ship is for

Section B

Q1. The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining
Q2. You cannot step twice in the same river
Q3. A smile is the chosen vehicle for all ambiguities
Q4. Just because you have a choice, it does not mean that any of them has to be right

Section A

Q1. The process of self-discovery has now been technologically outsourced.
Q2. Your perception of me is reflection of you; my reaction to you is an awareness of me.
Q3. Philosophy of wantlessness is Utopian, while materialism is a chimera.
Q4. The real is rational and the rational is real.

Section B

Q1. Hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.
Q2. What is research, but a blind date with knowledge!
Q3. History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce.
Q4. There are better practices to 'best practices'.

Section A

Q1. Life is long journey between human being and being humane.
Q2. Mindful manifesto is the catalyst to a tranquil self.
Q3. Ships do not sink because of water around them, ships sink because of water that gets into them.
Q4. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

Section B

Q1. Culture is what we are, civilization is what we have.
Q2. There can be no social justice without economic prosperity but economic prosperity without social justice is meaningless.
Q3. Patriarchy is the least noticed yet the most significant structure of social inequality.
Q4. Technology as the silent factor in international relations.

Section A

Q1. Wisdom finds truth.
Q2. Values are not what humanity is, but what humanity ought to be
Q3. Best for an individual is not necessarily best for the society
Q4. Courage to accept and dedication to improve are two keys to success

Section B

Q1. South Asian societies are woven not around the state, but around their plural cultures and plural identities.
Q2. Neglect of primary health care and education in India are reasons for its backwardness.
Q3. Biased media is a real threat to Indian democracy.
Q4. Rise of Artificial Intelligence: the threat of jobless future or better job opportunities through reskilling and upskilling.

Section A

Q1. Alternative technologies for a climate change resilient India.
Q2. A good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge.
Q3. Poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere
Q4. Management of Indian border disputes—a complex task

Section B

Q1. Customary morality cannot be a guide to modern life
Q2. 'The past' is permanent dimension of human consiousness and values.
Q3. A people that values its privileges above its principles loses both
Q4. Reality does not conform to the idea, but confirms it.

Section A

Q1. Farming has lost the ability to be a source of subsistence for majority of farmers in India.
Q2. Impact of the new economic measures on fiscal ties between the union and states in India.
Q3. Destiny of a nation is shaped in its classrooms.
Q4. Has the Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) lost its relevance in a multipolar world?

Section B

Q1. Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.
Q2. Fulfilment of 'new woman' in India is myth.
Q3. We may brave human laws but cannot resist natural laws.
Q4. 'Social media' is inherently a selfish medium.

Section A

Q1. If development is not engendered, it is endangered.
Q2. Need brings greed, if greed increases it spoils breed.
Q3. Water disputes between States in federal India.
Q4. Innovation is the key determinant of economic growth and social welfare.

Section B

Q1. Cooperative federalism: Myth or reality
Q2. Cyberspace and Internet: Blessing or curse to the human civilization in the long run.
Q3. Near jobless growth in India: An anomaly or an outcome of economic reforms
Q4. Digital economy: A leveller or a source of economic inequality.

Section A

Q1. Lending hands to someone is better than giving a dole.
Q2. Quick but steady wins the race.
Q3. Character of an institution is reflected in its leader.
Q4. Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make a man more clever devil.

Section B

Q1. Technology cannot replace manpower.
Q2. Crisis faced in India— moral or economic.
Q3. Dreams which should not let India sleep.
Q4. Can capitalism bring inclusive growth?

Section A

Q1. With greater power comes greater responsibility.
Q2. Is the growing level of competition good for the youth?
Q3. Are the standardized tests good measure of academic ability or progress?
Q4. Words are sharper than the two-edged sword.

Section B

Q1. Was it the policy paralysis or the paralysis of implementation which slowed the growth of our country?
Q2. Is sting operation an invasion on privacy?
Q3. Fifty Golds in Olympics: Can this be a reality for India?
Q4. Tourism: Can this be the next big thing for India?

Section A

Q1. Be the change you want to see in others — Gandhiji.
Q2. Is the Colonial mentality hindering India's success?
Q3. GDP (Gross Domestic Product) along with GDH (Gross Domestic Happiness) would be the right indices for judging the well-being of a country.
Q4. Science and Technology is the panacea for the growth and security of the nation.

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