UPSC Mains 2016 GS2 Q5 — Preamble
Discuss each adjective attached to the word 'Republic' in the 'Preamble'. Are they defendable in the present circumstances ? (Answer in 200 words)
Question Decoded — examiner's intent
- Directive verbs
- Discuss
- Scope keywords
- adjective attached to the word 'Republic'Preambledefendablepresent circumstances
- Implicit sub-parts
- Identify and briefly define the five adjectives: Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic, and Republic.
- Analyze the contemporary challenges (economic, political, social) facing each of these ideals.
- Provide a reasoned argument on why these values are still legally/constitutionally defendable despite modern pressures.
- Conclude with the role of the Judiciary or Civil Society in upholding these adjectives.
- Common pitfalls
- Defining the adjectives but forgetting to answer the 'defendable in present circumstances' part of the question.
- Getting bogged down in the history of the 42nd Amendment rather than discussing current relevance.
- Taking an overly cynical or political stand instead of a balanced constitutional critique.
- Treating 'Republic' as the only adjective and missing 'Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic'.
- Dimensions required
- ConstitutionalSocio-EconomicGeopoliticalJudicial/Legal
- Marks allocation hint
Devote approximately 80 words to defining the five adjectives and their constitutional intent. Use the remaining 120 words to analyze their current 'defendability' by citing contemporary examples like globalization (Sovereignty), wealth gap (Socialism), and pluralism (Secularism), ensuring a balanced concluding outlook.
Unlock the full analysis for this question
You've seen the question and its examiner-intent decoding. Subscribers also get:
- 🔗 Similar Previous Year Questions — cross-year, cross-paper matches so you study the topic, not the question
- 📚 Source Map — verified citations from Laxmikanth, NCERT, PRS, Yojana, Economic Survey, Spectrum
- 🌱 How this topic is evolving — current-affairs bridge anchored to live TARS news clustering
- 🧭 Examiner's Pattern — how the topic has been framed across every year UPSC has tested it
- ✍️ Answer Skeleton — a structured outline (intro → body → conclusion) you can flesh out
- 🎯 AI evaluation — write your answer, get rubric-based scoring from gs-eval
Or browse 132+ free preview questions across all years and papers — the first 3 questions of every paper are unlocked.
Ready to practice?
Subscribers can attempt this question in 200 words and get an instant, rubric-based evaluation showing where they stand.
Subscribe to evaluate your answer →