PSIR PYQs
Paper 1 Section A
- Political Theory: meaning and approaches
- Normative approach in political science. Comment. (10) 2023
- Comment on Decline of Political Theory (10) 2023
- Eurocentrism is both the target and the motive force of the post-colonial political theory. Discuss. (15) 2023
- ‘Credo of Relevance’ in post-behavioralism advocates the importance of action science. Analyse. (15) 2023
- Short note on Systems Approach (10) 2022
- Examine the importance of the behavioural approach in political theory. What led to its decline? (15) 2021
- Discuss the significance of the normative approach to political theory. (15) 2020
- Comment on the Resurgence of political theory. (10) 2019
- Comment on the Decline of political theory. (10) 2018
- Comment on the post-behavioural approach. (10) 2016
- Discuss David Easton’s model of systems analysis. (15) 2015
- “…political theory is not an escape mechanism but an arduous calling” (John Plamentz). Comment. (10) 2014
2. Theories of State: Liberal, Neo-liberal, Marxist, Pluralist, post-colonial, and Feminist
Sr No | Previous Year Questions | Marks | Year |
| 1 | Examine the liberal theory of State in Contemporary Politics. | 20 | 2022 |
| 2 | Comment on the Feminist Critique of the State. | 10 | 2021 |
| 3 | Comment on tools of legitimation of the state. | 10 | 2021 |
| 4 | Comment on Post colonial theory of the state. | 10 | 2020 |
| 5 | Comment on the Pluralist theory of state. | 10 | 2019 |
| 6 | “Nothing against the state, nothing over it, nothing beyond it” (Mussolini) Comment. | 10 | 2018 |
| 7 | Critically examine the neo-liberal theory of State. | 20 | 2018 |
| 8 | Comment on the Neo-liberal perspective of State | 10 | 2017 |
| 9 | Discuss the Feminist theory of the state. | 15 | 2016 |
3. Justice: Conceptions of justice with special reference to Rawl’s theory of justice and its communitarian critiques.
Sr No | Previous Year Questions | Marks | Year |
| 1 | Rawls’ idea of the ‘liberal self’ is too individualistic. Explain, in this context, the communitarian critique of Rawls’ theory of justice. | 15 | 2023 |
| 2 | Dr. Ambedkar’s idea of social justice leads to ‘egalitarian justice’, as opposed to Rawls ‘justice as fairness,’ which aims at the notion of ‘pure procedural justice’. Comment. | 20 | 2022 |
| 3 | Examine the entitlement theory of justice. | 15 | 2022 |
| 4 | How has Rawls enriched the idea of justice in liberalism. | 20 | 2021 |
| 5 | Make a comparative assessment of the Greek perspective of justice with the Rawlsian concept of justice. | 20 | 2020 |
| 6 | Examine communitarian perspectives on justice. | 15 | 2019 |
| 7 | Comment on Distributive justice. | 10 | 2018 |
| 8 | Analyse John Rawls justification to achieve the goals of justice. | 15 | 2018 |
| 9 | Rawls theory of justice is both contractual and distributive. Examine. | 20 | 2017 |
| 10 | Critically examine John Ralws’s argument for democratic equality. | 15 | 2016 |
| 11 | Comment on ‘Difference principle’ in Rawls theory of justice. | 10 | 2015 |
| 12 | Explicate the conception of justice in the critiques of communitarian theorists. | 20 | 2014 |
| 13 | Comment on “Original position”. | 10 | 2013 |
4. Equality: Social, political, and economic; relationship between equality and freedom; Affirmative action.
Sr No | Question | Marks | Year |
| 1 | Affirmative Action Policies draw as much strong criticism as strong support. Analyse this statement in the context of equality. | 15 | 2023 |
| 2 | “Equality of estates caused equality of power, and equality of power is liberty.” Comment. | 15 | 2022 |
| 3 | Comment on “Affirmative action” | 10 | 2021 |
| 4 | Comment on Equality of outcome as a political idea | 10 | 2021 |
| 5 | Comment on Equality of opportunity | 10 | 2020 |
| 6 | Equality means fair treatment rather than equal treatment. Comment | 15 | 2018 |
| 7 | Comment on “Affirmative action” | 10 | 2016 |
| 8 | How is liberty a precondition for equality? Explicate the relationship between equality and liberty. | 15 | 2014 |
5. Rights: Meaning and theories; different kinds of rights; Concept of Human Rights.
Sr No | Previous Year Questions | Marks | Year |
| 1 | Short Note on Multicultural perspective on rights. | 10 | 2023 |
| 2 | Short note on Cultural Relativism. | 10 | 2022 |
| 3 | Human Rights are complex and contested social practice that organises relations between individuals, society and the State. Comment. | 15 | 2022 |
| 4 | Can there be universal conception of rights? Give your arguments. | 15 | 2021 |
| 5 | Assess the significance of right to property in political theory. | 15 | 2020 |
| 6 | Discuss the doctrine of ‘rights as trumps’. | 15 | 2019 |
| 7 | What do you understand by three generations of human rights? | 20 | 2018 |
| 8 | The implementation of human rights is regarded as a matter of changing the conduct of states. Comment. | 15 | 2016 |
| 9 | Comment on idea of natural rights. | 10 | 2015 |
| 10 | Analyse the relationship between natural rights and human rights. | 20 | 2013 |
6. Democracy: Classical and contemporary theories; different models of democracy—representative, participatory and deliberative
Sr No | Previous Year Questions | Marks | Year |
| 1 | Success of contemporary democracies lies in the State limiting its own power. Explain. | 20 | 2023 |
| 2 | Elitist theory of democracy denies the possibility of democracy as ‘rule of the people.’ Elucidate. | 15 | 2022 |
| 3 | “Free and fair deliberations is key to the foundation of democracy”. Explain. | 15 | 2021 |
| 4 | “Representative democracy…..means the people as a body must be able to control the general direction of government policy”. (J.S. Mill). Comment. | 15 | 2020 |
| 5 | Comment on Deliberative democracy. | 10 | 2019 |
| 6 | Comment on substantive democracy. | 10 | 2018 |
| 7 | Critically examine Macpherson’s views on democracy. | 15 | 2018 |
| 8 | Deliberative democracy does not have its salience without participation and participatory democracy does not have its credence without deliberations. | 15 | 2017 |
| 9 | Explicate features of representative democracy. | 15 | 2016 |
| 10 | Comment on the difference between participatory and deliberative democracy. | 10 | 2015 |
| 11 | Explicate the features of deliberative democracy. | 15 | 2014 |
| 12 | Comment on: “India has thrown up a form of judicial democracy that has no parallel anywhere else, and has nurtured a kind of civil society that is uniquely its own.” (Bhikhu Parekh) | 10 | 2014 |
7. Concept of power: hegemony, ideology, and legitimacy.
Sr No | Previous Year Question | Marks | Year |
| 1 | Short note on Foucault’s concept of power | 10 | 2023 |
| 2 | Short Note on Bases of Power | 10 | 2022 |
| 3 | “Political ideology is primarily concerned with the allocation and utilization of power”. Comment | 15 | 2021 |
| 4 | Examine the nature and meaning of power | 15 | 2020 |
| 5 | Comment on end of ideology debate | 10 | 2019 |
| 6 | Explain the relationship between power, authority and legitimacy | 15 | 2018 |
| 7 | Distinguish between power and authority | 15 | 2015 |
| 8 | Discuss the crisis of legitimacy in capitalist societies (Habermas) | 20 | 2015 |
| 9 | Examine the conditions that are required for the maintenance of legitimacy in modern societies. | 15 | 2014 |
9. Western Political Thought: Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, John S. Mill, Marx, Gramsci, Hannah Arendt.
8. Political Ideologies: Liberalism, Socialism, Marxism, Fascism, Gandhism and Feminism.
Sr No | Previous Year Questions | Marks | Year |
| 1 | Fascism displays an ambivalent stance towards parliamentary democracy. Explain. | 20 | 2023 |
| 2 | Factors like community, culture and nation weaken the hegemony of neo-liberalism today. Discuss. | 20 | 2022 |
| 3 | Comment on Liberalism as a revolutionary idea. | 10 | 2020 |
| 4 | Explicate the ideological components of Gandhism. | 20 | 2020 |
| 5 | Distinguish between liberal feminism and radical feminism. | 15 | 2019 |
| 6 | What is the contemporary relevance of Marxism. | 15 | 2019 |
| 7 | Comment on Post modernism. | 10 | 2017 |
| 8 | Comment on Eco-feminism. | 10 | 2017 |
| 9 | Define socialism. Discuss the salient features of Fabian socialism. | 15 | 2017 |
| 10 | What do you mean by multiculturalism? Discuss Bhikhu Parekh’s views on Multiculturalsim. | 20 | 2017 |
| 11 | Write a brief note on end of history debate. | 15 | 2017 |
| 12 | “The Political ideology of globalization is neo- liberalism”. Comment. | 20 | 2016 |
| 13 | Discuss the key features of pre-Marxist socialist theory. | 15 | 2015 |
| 14 | Discuss the relationship between base and superstructure in Marxist theory. | 15 | 2015 |
| 15 | Comment on the view that socialism in the 21st century may be reborn as anti-capitalism. | 20 | 2014 |
| 16 | Comment on Personal is Political. | 10 | 2013 |
| 17 | Discuss communitarian critique of liberalism. | 20 | 2013 |
| 18 | Explain Berlin’s notion of value pluralism. | 20 | 2013 |