#280: GS Paper Analysis | Mains 2024

A quick look!

General Comments

• GS3 had major direct linkages with Current Affairs

• UPSC is relying not just on knowledge but its application

• Key demands of paper this year

  • Analytical skills

  • Knowledge of the syllabus

  • Clear understanding of topic

  • Real world application & thinking

• Anyone who did not refer to PYQs & Mapping is bound to miss out on critical marks.

  You can get PYQs for both Mains & Prelims along with Mapping & Constitution in my super affordable WHYPOWER Course here

General Studies 1: Society, History & Geography

Society dominated the paper. Key topics:

• Society: Migration, Gender, Demographic Winter

• Geography: Cloudburst, Twisters, Sea surface temperature

• History: Pallavas & Cholas, Quit India Movement, World War I

General Studies 2: Governance, Polity, Social Justice & International Relations

This year saw no major surprises in GS2. Key topics:

• Electoral reforms, Local bodies in Governance, Marketization on public health

• Narco terrorism, UN Security Council Counter Terrorism Committee

• Maldives, Central Asian Countries, China-USA-Ind

Constitution Articles you could mention to score +1 marks in every answer

• CAG: 148 [Q4]

• Secularism: 44 [Q15]

• Public Health: 47 [Q17]

• ONOE: 83, 84, 324 [Q1]

• Cabinet System: 74 [Q3]

• Right to Privacy: 21 [Q12]

• Lok Adalats: 39A & 226 [Q2]

• Federalism: 245, 256, 280, 282 [Q13]

• Local Bodies: 243B (Panchayat) & 243Q (Municipality) [Q5]

General Studies 3: Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, S&T, Security & Disaster Management

Lengthy paper meeting the expectations. Key Points:

• Tech advancements like RFID

• Public expenditure on social services

• Environmental issues like river pollution

General Studies 4: Ethics

Lengthy paper meeting the expectations. Paper focused on applied ethics with personalized case studies. Key Points:

• Ethical dilemmas including governance, business & public administration

• Real world application focus in cases of weapon industries, climate change, Naxalite issues & administrative pov.

Essay topics encouraged deep philosophical & analytical thought.

Paper focused on themes like future of power being in intellectual & tech domains, personal happiness, FOMO due to social media & leadership under adversity

You can get PYQs for both Mains & Prelims along with Mapping & Constitution in my super affordable WHYPOWER Course here