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Prelims GS I

Prelims GS I · 214 questions · 2011–2026

Polity & governance: every Prelims question, by topic

UPSC syllabus: “Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.” Below, the topics inside it — most asked first — and how often each came up year by year.

Polity & governance in Prelims 2024: 16 questions

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Polity & governance in UPSC Prelims at a glance

UPSC has asked 214 questions on Polity & governance in GS Paper I from 2011 to 2026 — about 13 a year, the most in 2017 (22). The most-asked topic is Parliament & the Union executive (54 questions).

Year2011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026
Questions61818911722121315161113161512

Counted from UPSC's own papers in the Vault, each question under its main subject · updated 8 Nov 2026.

  1. Parliament & the Union executive54 questions · asked in 16 of 16 years Parliament & the Union executive per year: 2011: 1, 2012: 7, 2013: 6, 2014: 3, 2015: 4, 2016: 1, 2017: 4, 2018: 4, 2019: 1, 2020: 3, 2021: 1, 2022: 4, 2023: 3, 2024: 6, 2025: 4, 2026: 2
  2. Fundamental Rights, DPSP & Duties34 questions · asked in 14 of 16 years Fundamental Rights, DPSP & Duties per year: 2011: 2, 2012: 2, 2013: 1, 2014: 1, 2015: 3, 2016: 0, 2017: 6, 2018: 1, 2019: 2, 2020: 5, 2021: 4, 2022: 0, 2023: 3, 2024: 1, 2025: 1, 2026: 2
  3. Making of the Constitution, Preamble & features28 questions · asked in 13 of 16 years Making of the Constitution, Preamble & features per year: 2011: 0, 2012: 1, 2013: 3, 2014: 1, 2015: 0, 2016: 0, 2017: 3, 2018: 2, 2019: 1, 2020: 2, 2021: 5, 2022: 1, 2023: 3, 2024: 4, 2025: 1, 2026: 1
  4. Federalism, states & centre–state relations28 questions · asked in 13 of 16 years Federalism, states & centre–state relations per year: 2011: 0, 2012: 1, 2013: 4, 2014: 1, 2015: 2, 2016: 2, 2017: 2, 2018: 3, 2019: 3, 2020: 0, 2021: 1, 2022: 1, 2023: 2, 2024: 2, 2025: 4, 2026: 0
  5. Constitutional, statutory & regulatory bodies23 questions · asked in 14 of 16 years Constitutional, statutory & regulatory bodies per year: 2011: 1, 2012: 2, 2013: 2, 2014: 1, 2015: 0, 2016: 2, 2017: 1, 2018: 1, 2019: 2, 2020: 0, 2021: 1, 2022: 2, 2023: 1, 2024: 1, 2025: 4, 2026: 2
  6. Judiciary21 questions · asked in 11 of 16 years Judiciary per year: 2011: 0, 2012: 2, 2013: 0, 2014: 2, 2015: 1, 2016: 1, 2017: 1, 2018: 1, 2019: 4, 2020: 2, 2021: 3, 2022: 3, 2023: 0, 2024: 1, 2025: 0, 2026: 0
  7. Elections, rights issues & governance17 questions · asked in 8 of 16 years Elections, rights issues & governance per year: 2011: 0, 2012: 2, 2013: 1, 2014: 0, 2015: 0, 2016: 0, 2017: 4, 2018: 0, 2019: 0, 2020: 3, 2021: 1, 2022: 0, 2023: 1, 2024: 1, 2025: 0, 2026: 4
  8. Panchayati Raj & local government9 questions · asked in 8 of 16 years Panchayati Raj & local government per year: 2011: 2, 2012: 1, 2013: 1, 2014: 0, 2015: 1, 2016: 1, 2017: 1, 2018: 0, 2019: 0, 2020: 0, 2021: 0, 2022: 0, 2023: 0, 2024: 0, 2025: 1, 2026: 1

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The same ground in Mains

These official Mains syllabus lines cover Polity & governance. Prelims facts become Mains arguments.

Polity & governance PYQs as a PDF — free

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Every Polity & governance question from 2011 to 2026, topic-wise, with answers and explanations — 118 pages. Free; sign up once.

Polity & governance PYQs: quick answers

How many Polity & governance questions has UPSC asked in Prelims from 2011 to 2026?

214 questions in GS Paper I — about 13 a year, the most in 2017 (22). Every one is on this page, under its topic, with UPSC's answer and an explanation.

Which Polity & governance topic does UPSC ask most in Prelims?

Parliament & the Union executive: 54 questions between 2011 and 2026, asked in 16 of 16 years. The topics are listed above, most asked first, each with its year-by-year trend.

Are the answers UPSC's official answer keys?

From 2016, yes: every answer is from UPSC's final answer key (2016–2025); for 2011–2015, where UPSC published no key online, each answer is worked out from official sources and reviewed independently; for 2026 UPSC has so far published a provisional key, and those answers are labelled. Explanations cite official sources — NCERT and government pages first.

Can I download the Polity & governance PYQs as a PDF?

Yes — a print-ready PDF of every Polity & governance question with answers and explanations (118 pages, 2.2 MB), free after a one-time sign-up, from the Vault's downloads page.

Counted from UPSC's own papers in the Vault; answers are UPSC's keys.