UPSC MAIN SYLLABUS

QUALIFYING PAPERS ON INDIAN LANGUAGES AND ENGLISH

The aim of the paper is to test the candidate’s ability to read and understand
serious discursive prose, and to express his ideas clearly and correctly, in
English and Indian Language concerned.

The pattern of questions would be broadly as follows:-

(i) Comprehension of given passages

(ii) Precis Writing

(iii) Usage and Vocabulary

(iv) Short Essay.

Indian Languages:-

(i) Comprehension of given passages.

(ii) Precis Writing

(iii) Usage and Vocabulary.

(iv) Short Essay

(v) Translation from English to the Indian language and vice-versa.

PAPER-
PAPER-I

ESSAY

Candidates will be required to write an essay on a specific topic. The choice of

subjects will be
be given.

They will be expected to keep closely to the subject of the essay to arrange
their ideas in orderly fashion and to write concisely. Credit will be given for
effective and exact expression.

PAPER-
PAPER-II
General Studies-
Studies- I: Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the
World and Society.

Indian Heritage and Culture

• Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and
Architecture from ancient to modern times.

History

• Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century
until the present- significant events, personalities, issues
• The Freedom Struggle - its various stages and important contributors
/contributions from different parts of the country.
• Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.
• History of the world will include events from 18th century such as
industrial revolution, world wars, redrawal of national boundaries,
colonization, decolonization, political philosophies like communism,
capitalism, socialism etc.- their forms and effect on the society.

Society

• Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.

• Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated
issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems
and their remedies.
• Effects of globalization on Indian society
• Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism.

Geography of the World

• Salient features of world’s physical geography.

• Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South
Asia and the Indian subcontinent); factors responsible for the location of
primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the
world (including India)
• Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami,
Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location-
changes in critical geographical features (including waterbodies and ice-
caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.

PAPER-
PAPER-III
General Studies-
Studies- II: Governance,
Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and
International relations.

Governance, Constitution, Polity

• Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features,

amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.
• Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and
challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and
finances up to local levels and challenges therein.
• Separation of powers between various organs dispute redressal
mechanisms and institutions.
• Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other
countries
• Parliament and State Legislatures - structure, functioning, conduct of
business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.
• Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the
Judiciary Ministries and Departments of the Government; pressure
groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity.
• Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act.
• Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and
responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies.
• Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies
• Government policies and interventions for development in various
sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
• Development processes and the development industry- the role of
NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities,
institutional and other stakeholders

Social Justice

• Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre

and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws,
institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of
these vulnerable sections.
• Issues relating to development and management of Social
Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
• Issues relating to poverty and hunger.
• Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-
governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential;
citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and
other measures.
 • Role of civil services in a democracy.

International relations

• India and its neighborhood- relations.

• Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India
and/or affecting India’s interests
• Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on
India’s interests, Indian diaspora.
• Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure,
mandate.

PAPER-
PAPER-IV

General Studies-
Studies-III: Technology, Economic Development, Bio diversity,
Environment, Security and Disaster Management.

Economic Development

• Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of

resources, growth, development and employment.
• Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
• Government Budgeting.
• Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and
their effects on industrial growth.
• Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.
• Investment models.

Agriculture

• Major crops cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different

types of irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport and
marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints; e-
technology in the aid of farmers
• Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum
support prices; Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning,
limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and food security;
Technology missions; economics of animal-rearing.
• Food processing and related industries in India- scope and significance,
location, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain
management.
• Land reforms in India.
Technology

• Science and Technology- developments and their applications and

effects in everyday life
• Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of
technology and developing new technology.
• Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-
technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property
rights.

Environment

• Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental

impact assessment

Disaster Management

• Disaster and disaster management.

Security

• Linkages between development and spread of extremism.

• Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to
internal security.
• Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of
media and social networking sites in internal security challenges, basics
of cyber security; money-laundering and its prevention
• Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of
organized crime with terrorism
• Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate

PAPER-
PAPER-V

General Studies-
Studies- IV: Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude

This paper will include questions to test the candidates’ attitude and approach
to issues relating to integrity, probity in public life and his problem solving
approach to various issues and conflicts faced by him in dealing with society.
Questions may utilise the case study approach to determine these aspects.
The following broad areas will be covered.

• Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequences

of Ethics in human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and
 public relationships. Human Values – lessons from the lives and
teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators; role of family,
society and educational institutions in inculcating values.
• Attitude: content, structure, function; its influence and relation with
thought and behaviour; moral and political attitudes; social influence and
persuasion.
• Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service , integrity, impartiality
and non-partisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy,
tolerance and compassion towards the weaker sections.
• Emotional intelligence-concepts, and their utilities and application in
administration and governance.
• Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and world.
• Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status
and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and
private institutions; laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources
of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance;
strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; ethical issues
in international relations and funding; corporate governance.
• Probity in Governance: Concept of public service; Philosophical basis of
governance and probity; Information sharing and transparency in
government, Right to Information, Codes of Ethics, Codes of Conduct,
Citizen’s Charters, Work culture, Quality of service delivery, Utilization of
public funds, challenges of corruption.

Case Studies on above issues.

Optional Mathematics
 MATHEMATICS
PAPER - I

(1) Linear Algebra:

Vector spaces over R and C, linear dependence and independence,

subspaces, bases, dimension; Linear transformations, rank and nullity, matrix
of a linear transformation.

Algebra of Matrices; Row and column reduction, Echelon form, congruence’s

and similarity; Rank of a matrix; Inverse of a matrix; Solution of system of
linear equations; Eigenvalues and eigenvectors, characteristic polynomial,
Cayley-Hamilton theorem, Symmetric, skew-symmetric, Hermitian, skew-
Hermitian, orthogonal and unitary matrices and their eigenvalues.

(2) Calculus:

Real numbers, functions of a real variable, limits, continuity, differentiability,

meanvalue theorem, Taylor’s theorem with remainders, indeterminate forms,
maxima and minima, asymptotes; Curve tracing; Functions of two or three
variables: limits, continuity, partial derivatives, maxima and minima,
Lagrange’s method of multipliers, Jacobian.

Riemann’s definition of definite integrals; Indefinite integrals; Infinite and

improper integrals; Double and triple integrals (evaluation techniques only);
Areas, surface and volumes.

(3) Analytic Geometry:

Cartesian and polar coordinates in three dimensions, second degree

equations in three variables, reduction to canonical forms, straight lines,
shortest distance between two skew lines; Plane, sphere, cone, cylinder,
paraboloid, ellipsoid, hyperboloid of one and two sheets and their properties.
(4) Ordinary Differential Equations:

Formulation of differential equations; Equations of first order and first degree,

integrating factor; Orthogonal trajectory; Equations of first order but not of first
degree, Clairaut’s equation, singular solution.

Second and higher order linear equations with constant coefficients,

complementary function, particular integral and general solution.

Second order linear equations with variable coefficients, Euler-Cauchy

equation; Determination of complete solution when one solution is known
using method of variation of parameters.

Laplace and Inverse Laplace transforms and their properties; Laplace

transforms of elementary functions. Application to initial value problems for
2nd order linear equations with constant coefficients.

(5) Dynamics & Statics:

Rectilinear motion, simple harmonic motion, motion in a plane, projectiles;

constrained motion; Work and energy, conservation of energy; Kepler’s laws,
orbits under central forces. Equilibrium of a system of particles; Work and
potential energy, friction; common catenary; Principle of virtual work; Stability
of equilibrium, equilibrium of forces in three dimensions.

(6) Vector Analysis:

Scalar and vector fields, differentiation of vector field of a scalar variable;

Gradient, divergence and curl in cartesian and cylindrical coordinates; Higher
order derivatives; Vector identities and vector equations. Application to
geometry: Curves in space, Curvature and torsion; Serret-Frenet’s formulae.
Gauss and Stokes’ theorems, Green’s identities.

PAPER - II
(1) Algebra:

Groups, subgroups, cyclic groups, cosets, Lagrange’s Theorem, normal

subgroups, quotient groups, homomorphism of groups, basic isomorphism
theorems, permutation groups, Cayley’s theorem.

Rings, subrings and ideals, homomorphisms of rings; Integral domains,

principal ideal domains, Euclidean domains and unique factorization domains;
Fields, quotient fields.

(2) Real Analysis:

Real number system as an ordered field with least upper bound property;
Sequences, limit of a sequence, Cauchy sequence, completeness of real line;
Series and its convergence, absolute and conditional convergence of series of
real and complex terms, rearrangement of series. Continuity and uniform
continuity of functions, properties of continuous functions on compact sets.
Riemann integral, improper integrals; Fundamental theorems of integral
calculus.

Uniform convergence, continuity, differentiability and integrability for

sequences and series of functions; Partial derivatives of functions of several
(two or three) variables, maxima and minima.

(3) Complex Analysis:

Analytic functions, Cauchy-Riemann equations, Cauchy’s theorem, Cauchy’s

integral formula, power series representation of an analytic function, Taylor’s
series; Singularities; Laurent’s series; Cauchy’s residue theorem; Contour
integration.

(4) Linear Programming:

Linear programming problems, basic solution, basic feasible solution and

optimal solution; Graphical method and simplex method of solutions; Duality.
Transportation and assignment problems.
(5) Partial differential equations:

Family of surfaces in three dimensions and formulation of partial differential

equations; Solution of quasilinear partial differential equations of the first
order, Cauchy’s method of characteristics; Linear partial differential equations
of the second order with constant coefficients, canonical form; Equation of a
vibrating string, heat equation, Laplace equation and their solutions.

(6) Numerical Analysis and Computer programming:

Numerical methods: Solution of algebraic and transcendental equations of one

variable by bisection, Regula- Falsi and Newton-Raphson methods; solution of
system of linear equations by Gaussian elimination and Gauss-Jordan (direct),
Gauss-Seidel(iterative) methods. Newton’s (forward and backward)
interpolation, Lagrange’s interpolation. Numerical integration: Trapezoidal
rule, Simpson’s rules, Gaussian quadrature formula. Numerical solution of
ordinary differential equations: Euler and Runga Kutta-methods. Computer
Programming: Binary system; Arithmetic and logical operations on numbers;
Octal and Hexadecimal systems; Conversion to and from decimal systems;
Algebra of binary numbers. Elements of computer systems and concept of
memory; Basic logic gates and truth tables, Boolean algebra,

normal forms. Representation of unsigned integers, signed integers and reals,

double precision reals and long integers.

Algorithms and flow charts for solving numerical analysis problems.

(7) Mechanics and Fluid Dynamics:

Generalized coordinates; D’ Alembert’s principle and Lagrange’s equations;

Hamilton equations; Moment of inertia; Motion of rigid bodies in two
dimensions. Equation of continuity; Euler’s equation of motion for inviscid flow;
Stream-lines, path of a particle; Potential flow; Two-dimensional and
axisymmetric motion; Sources and sinks, vortex motion; Navier-Stokes
equation for a viscous fluid.