OCS Mains 2025 PSIR Optional Paper 1&2 Question Paper & Analysis - RAYACADEMY IAS

The OCS Mains 2025 Political Science and International Relations (PSIR) Optional Paper 1 is now out. Aspirants preparing for the Odisha Civil Services (OCS) examination can see the full question paper below. This article explains the paper pattern, analyses every question, and gives practical tips for scoring well in PSIR.

Quick Overview of the Paper

Paper Pattern Explained OCS Mains 2025 PSIR Optional Paper 1&2 Question Paper & Analysis

The paper has two groups.

Group A

• 12 questions are given, and you attempt 10.

• Each answer should be about 250 words.

• Each question carries 15 marks, so Group A is worth 150 marks.

Group B

• 6 questions are given, and you attempt 5.

• Each answer should be about 300 words.

• Each question carries 20 marks, so Group B is worth 100 marks.

The total is 250 marks. Time is tight, with 15 answers in 180 minutes, so you have roughly 10 to 12 minutes per answer. Practising word-limited writing is essential.

OCS Mains 2025 PSIR Paper 1: All Questions

Group A (Attempt 10 out of 12, 15 marks each, 250 words)

1. Critically analyse that Machiavelli’s advocacy for Monarchy was to create a foundation for the republic.

2. Discuss the education system proposed by Plato and Aristotle.

3. Comparatively analyse the liberal and post-colonial theory of the formation of the state.

4. Explain the discourse theory of democracy with relevant examples.

5. Political obligation is an interplay between force and consent. Explain with relevant examples.

6. Define Gandhian ideology. Do you think that it is relevant to resolving contemporary political conflicts?

7. Gramsci’s concept of Hegemony has broken the boundaries of Orthodox Marxism.

8. Critically analyse the steps for transitioning from subject to participative political culture.

9. Comparatively analyse J.J. Rousseau and Marx’s ideas on economic inequality.

10. Discuss on which grounds the pluralistic theory refuted the monistic theory of state sovereignty.

11. Ambedkar prioritised social reform over political rights. Explain.

12. Discuss the mechanism suggested by John Rawls to address the inequalities in a just manner.

Group B (Attempt 5 out of 6, 20 marks each, 300 words)

1. Discuss the evolution and mandate of the Ethics Committee in the Indian Parliamentary System.

2. “In the era of attention economy and platformisation logic, politics has undergone transformation.” Comment and also explain its impact on the democratic system.

3. The Government of India Act provided the foundation for Indian federalism. Comment.

4. Elaborate on the judiciary and Parliamentary discourse that shaped the Right to Life in India.

5. Discuss the contribution of philosophers and significant historical events in the evolution of constitutionalism. What is “constitutionalism” in a communist regime?

6. Illustrate the role of the Praja Mandal Movement in the freedom struggle of India.

   OCS Mains 2025 PSIR Optional Paper 1&2 Question Paper & Analysis

Detailed Analysis of the Paper

Overall Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult

The paper tests conceptual clarity and the ability to compare thinkers, not just recall. Words like “critically analyse,” “comparatively analyse,” and “comment” appear often, so examiners wanted analytical answers rather than descriptive ones.

Topic-wise Breakdown

1. Western Political Thought (Q1, Q2, Q9, Q12)Machiavelli, Plato and Aristotle, Rousseau and Marx, and Rawls were all covered. Q1 is the trickiest because it needs the “Prince vs Discourses” argument: Machiavelli saw a strong founder-prince as necessary to create a state that could later sustain republican institutions. Q12 expects Rawls’s Theory of Justice: the original position, veil of ignorance, two principles of justice, and the difference principle.

2. Political Theory and Concepts (Q3, Q4, Q5, Q10)These cover the state, democracy, obligation and sovereignty. Q3 needs a comparison of social-contract-based liberal views with post-colonial critiques of the state. Q4 on discourse theory (Habermas’s deliberative democracy, public sphere, communicative rationality) is a conceptual question where examples such as citizens’ assemblies and participatory budgeting add value. Q10 expects Laski, Cole, Figgis and Barker against Austin’s monism.

3. Marxism (Q7, Q9)Gramsci’s hegemony, civil society, the historic bloc and the war of position vs war of manoeuvre. Explain how he moved beyond economic determinism in orthodox Marxism.

4. Indian Political Thought (Q6, Q11)Gandhi (satya, ahimsa, swaraj, sarvodaya, trusteeship) and its relevance to today’s conflicts, and Ambedkar’s view that social democracy must come before political democracy. Both need a balanced “relevance” or “evaluation” conclusion.

5. Political Culture (Q8)Based on Almond and Verba’s classification of parochial, subject and participant cultures. A good answer discusses education, media, civil society and institutional reform as the steps to transition.

6. Indian Government and Politics (Q13 to Q18)Group B leans heavily towards India and the contemporary world:

• Q13: Parliamentary Ethics Committees, their evolution and mandate.

• Q14: A current-affairs-linked question on the attention economy, social media platforms, algorithms, polarisation, misinformation and democracy.

• Q15: The Government of India Acts of 1919 and 1935 as the base of Indian federalism.

• Q16: Right to Life under Article 21, from A.K. Gopalan to Maneka Gandhi and beyond.

• Q17: Constitutionalism: Locke, Montesquieu, Magna Carta, American and French Revolutions, and constitutionalism in communist states, where the party and the constitution interact differently.

• Q18: The Praja Mandal Movement in the princely states. Odisha candidates should add local examples such as the movements in the princely states of Odisha.

Key Observations

• Roughly 60% of the paper is theory-based, so thinkers must be read from primary and reliable secondary sources.

• Contemporary issues appear in Q14 (attention economy) and Q6 (Gandhi’s relevance).

• Odisha and Indian context appears in Q18 and in the constitutional questions.

• Several questions are comparative (Q3, Q9, Q10), so a pre-made comparison table helps in revision.

How to Answer These Questions: Quick Tips

1. Start with a one- or two-line definition or context. Don’t write long introductions in a 250-word answer.

2. Use the thinker’s name and key work. For example, “Rawls in A Theory of Justice (1971).”

3. Add one critique. “Critically analyse” questions lose marks without one.

4. Use examples (Q4, Q5) and case laws or committee names (Q13, Q16).

5. End with a balanced conclusion (Q6, Q14).

6. Practise a timer. Aim to finish the 15-mark answers in about 10 minutes.

PSIR Optional Paper 2 Question Paper & Analysis

The OCS Mains 2025 Political Science and International Relations (PSIR) Optional Paper 2 was held on 7 November 2026. This paper is the “world politics and India’s foreign policy” paper, and it was full of contemporary issues. If you are preparing for the Odisha Civil Services (OCS) examination, you can see the full question paper below. This article explains the paper pattern, analyses every question in simple language, and gives tips to help you score better in PSIR.

Quick Overview of the Paper

Paper Pattern Explained

Group A

• 12 questions are given, and you must attempt 10.

• Each answer should be about 250 words.

• Each question carries 15 marks, so Group A is worth 150 marks.

Group B

• 6 questions are given, and you must attempt 5.

• Each answer should be about 300 words.

• Each question carries 20 marks, so Group B is worth 100 marks.

The total is 250 marks. You write 15 answers in 180 minutes, so you have about 10 to 12 minutes per answer. Almost every question in this paper has two parts (a “discuss” part and a “to what extent” part), so you must plan your answer structure carefully.

OCS Mains 2025 PSIR Paper 2: All Questions

Group A (Attempt 10 out of 12, 15 marks each, 250 words)

1. Explain the significance of Game Theory in the study of international relations. How can it help us understand strategic cooperation and conflict among states?

2. Assess the role of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) in promoting the peaceful use and governance of outer space. Examine the emergence of Astropolitics as a new dimension of international relations.

3. Critically examine the evolution of the post-1945 international economic order. To what extent have its institutions addressed or reproduced the structural inequalities underlying North-South relations?

4. Critically examine World-Systems Theory as an explanation of the hierarchical structure of the international political economy. How far do the concepts of core, semi-periphery and periphery explain contemporary North-South relations?

5. Examine gender justice from the perspective of international relations. How have feminist approaches challenged conventional understandings of power, security and development?

6. Examine the significance of the Westphalian system in the emergence of the modern sovereign state system. To what extent does the principle of Westphalian sovereignty remain relevant in contemporary international relations?

7. Critically analyse alliance politics from a Neorealist perspective. To what extent do the dilemmas of balancing, burden-sharing and abandonment explain recent changes in the United States’ relations with its traditional allies?

8. Compare the structural and ideological foundations of the Cold War with contemporary great-power rivalry. Is the concept of a “New Cold War” analytically useful for understanding the emerging international order?

9. Analyse the contemporary resurgence of nationalism. To what extent does the rise of nationalism challenge multilateralism and the liberal international order?

10. Critically examine Hans J. Morgenthau’s concept of national interest. How far does it explain the foreign-policy behaviour of states in the contemporary international system?

11. Critically examine the European Union’s response to the Ukraine crisis. What does the crisis reveal about the tension between the EU’s aspirations for strategic autonomy and its continuing dependence on the transatlantic security framework?

12. Examine geopolitics as a determinant of foreign policy. How do geography, location, resources and strategic space influence the external behaviour of states?

Group B (Attempt 5 out of 6, 20 marks each, 300 words)

1. Assess India’s contribution to the United Nations system. Critically examine India’s case for reform of the UN Security Council and greater representation in global governance institutions.

2. Critically analyse India-Russia relations in the context of the changing global balance of power. How do Russia’s growing relationship with China, India’s strategic partnership with the United States, and the Ukraine conflict complicate India’s pursuit of strategic autonomy?

3. “The age of precise mass is here.” (Michael C. Horowitz.) Critically examine the statement and explain how it has caused a paradigm shift in global order.

4. Is India’s contemporary pursuit of “strategic autonomy” a continuation of the principles of Non-Alignment or a departure from them? Critically examine in the context of India’s multiple strategic partnerships and the emerging multipolar international order.

5. Critically examine India’s engagement with the WTO and the process of globalisation. How has India attempted to reconcile greater integration with the global economy with the developmental interests of developing countries?

6. Analyse the evolution of India-United States relations from estrangement to strategic partnership. What are the principal areas of convergence and divergence in the contemporary relationship?

Detailed Analysis of the Paper

Overall Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult

This paper tested conceptual clarity combined with current awareness. Almost every question had a theory or concept in the first half and a contemporary application in the second half, for example Neorealism with US alliances (Q7), World-Systems Theory with North-South relations (Q4), and Westphalian sovereignty with today’s world (Q6). Directive words like “critically examine,” “to what extent” and “analyse” show that examiners wanted arguments with evidence, not descriptions. Candidates who read newspapers regularly had a clear advantage.

Topic-wise Breakdown

1. International Relations Theory (Q1, Q4, Q5, Q7, Q10)

• Q1 (Game Theory): Explain that Game Theory studies strategic decision-making where each state’s outcome depends on others’ choices. Cover the Prisoner’s Dilemma (why states fail to cooperate even when cooperation is better), the Stag Hunt, the Chicken Game (nuclear brinkmanship, as in the Cuban Missile Crisis), zero-sum versus non-zero-sum games, and deterrence. Add Axelrod’s “tit-for-tat” and iterated games to show how cooperation can emerge. Give examples such as arms races and climate negotiations. Close with limits: the assumption of rational actors and the neglect of domestic politics.

• Q4 (World-Systems Theory): Wallerstein’s theory divides the world economy into core, semi-periphery and periphery, with surplus flowing from the periphery to the core. Link to Marxist and dependency thinking (Frank, Amin). For contemporary relevance, discuss global value chains, the rise of China and India as semi-peripheral or emerging powers, and technology gaps. Criticisms: it is economically deterministic and the categories are too rigid.

• Q5 (Feminist IR): Cover how feminist approaches (Cynthia Enloe, J. Ann Tickner, Carol Cohn) question the male-centred view of power, security and development. Security should include human and gendered security, not only state security. Mention the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, feminist foreign policy (for example Sweden’s), and critiques of the “development” approach through WID, WAD and GAD.

• Q7 (Neorealism and alliances): Waltz’s structural realism says states balance in an anarchic system. Explain balancing versus bandwagoning, and Walt’s “balance of threat”. Burden-sharing is the problem of allies not paying their fair share, and abandonment versus entrapment is Glenn Snyder’s alliance security dilemma. Apply these to the recent US debate about NATO spending and its demands on allies. Keep the second half current and balanced.

• Q10 (Morgenthau): Interest defined in terms of power is a core principle of his six principles of political realism. Critique: the concept is vague, ignores domestic politics, ideas and non-state actors, and is hard to apply in an interdependent, nuclear and globalised world. Mention that it still explains great-power behaviour well.

2. International Political Economy (Q3, Q4)

• Q3: Trace the order from Bretton Woods (IMF, World Bank, GATT) to the WTO, the Washington Consensus, structural adjustment and the Global South’s demands (NIEO, G-77, UNCTAD). Argue both sides: institutions brought stability and growth, but voting power in the IMF and World Bank, unequal trade rules and debt kept structural inequality in place. Mention reform demands and new institutions like the BRICS New Development Bank and AIIB.

3. Sovereignty, State System and Global Order (Q6, Q8, Q9, Q12)

• Q6: The Peace of Westphalia (1648) established territorial sovereignty and non-interference. Discuss its present-day challenges: humanitarian intervention and the Responsibility to Protect, globalisation, supranational bodies like the EU, non-state actors and cyber and climate issues. Conclude that sovereignty is eroded in some areas but remains the central organising principle (as the Ukraine war and territorial disputes show).

• Q8 (Cold War versus “New Cold War”): Compare the bipolar, ideological, nuclear Cold War with today’s US-China rivalry, which is economically interdependent, technological and not clearly ideological. Weigh the usefulness of the label: it highlights the rivalry, but it misses multipolarity, interdependence and the role of middle powers and the Global South. A balanced conclusion earns marks.

• Q9 (Nationalism): Discuss the resurgence of nationalism and populism (Brexit, “America First,” economic nationalism, protectionism, identity politics) and its challenge to the UN, WTO and climate cooperation. Include a counterpoint: multilateralism has adapted, and nationalism also reflects real concerns about inequality and sovereignty.

• Q12 (Geopolitics): Cover Mackinder’s Heartland theory, Mahan’s sea power, Spykman’s Rimland and Haushofer’s Lebensraum, and modern factors such as energy, chokepoints and the Indo-Pacific. Use India’s geography (Himalayas, Indian Ocean position, neighbourhood) as an example.

4. Regional Politics (Q11)The EU response to the Ukraine crisis: sanctions, financial and military aid, energy diversification away from Russian gas, and enlargement talk. The tension: strategic autonomy aspirations (a European defence identity, PESCO) versus continued dependence on NATO and US security guarantees. A good answer makes the point that the crisis both united and exposed the EU.

5. Global Governance and Emerging Domains (Q2, Q15)These two questions tested whether candidates follow newer themes.

• Q2 (UNOOSA and Astropolitics): UNOOSA works to promote international cooperation on the peaceful use of outer space and supports the UN space treaties, especially the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 (no national appropriation, no weapons of mass destruction in orbit). Discuss the Liability and Registration conventions and the Artemis Accords as newer frameworks. Astropolitics is the study of power and politics in space: space militarisation, satellite and anti-satellite capabilities, commercial space actors, space debris and the race for lunar resources. Mention India’s space role.

• Q15 (“The age of precise mass”): Horowitz’s idea is that cheap, precise, autonomous weapons such as drones, loitering munitions and guided missiles, produced in large numbers, are changing warfare. Earlier, precision was costly and rare, and mass was imprecise. Now both are possible together. Discuss the effects on deterrence, the military balance, non-state actors’ access to such weapons, smaller states’ ability to challenge larger ones, and arms-control challenges. Use recent conflicts as examples, and add Indian and AI-related implications. This question was probably the hardest in the paper, as it needed knowledge of recent defence debates.

6. Gender (Q5)Covered above under theory. It is a good example of how a standard topic was linked to a conceptual critique.

7. India’s Foreign Policy and Global Role (Q13, Q14, Q16, Q17, Q18)Group B is heavily India-focused, with five of the six questions.

• Q13 (India and the UN): Contribution: founding member, peacekeeping (one of the largest troop contributors), decolonisation and anti-apartheid advocacy, South-South cooperation, and the climate and development agenda. UNSC reform case: the largest democracy, a major economy, its peacekeeping record and the Council’s outdated 1945 structure. Discuss the G4, the Uniting for Consensus group (Coffee Club) and the Ezulwini Consensus, and the obstacles (the veto, regional rivalries, and China’s position).

• Q14 (India-Russia): Historical depth (the 1971 Treaty, defence supplies, S-400, energy, Russian oil purchases). The complications: Russia-China closeness, Russia’s reliance on China, India’s expanding partnership with the US (Quad, defence and technology deals), and the Ukraine conflict (India’s abstentions and its balancing). Conclude with how India uses strategic autonomy to manage all of these.

• Q16 (Strategic autonomy and Non-Alignment): Argue the case for continuity (independence of decision-making, no permanent alliances) and for departure (Non-Alignment was a Cold War, bloc-based concept, while today India has multi-alignment, issue-based partnerships and closer ties with the US and its allies). Mention terms like “multi-alignment,” “Vishwa Bandhu” and Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Vajpayee-era shifts. The best answers give a measured view: it is an evolution that keeps the core idea of autonomy.

• Q17 (India and WTO): India’s role in the GATT and WTO, its stand on agricultural subsidies and public stockholding for food security, Special and Differential Treatment, TRIPS and access to medicines, and the Doha Round deadlock. Also cover liberalisation since 1991, free trade agreements and the balancing act between openness and domestic development. Mention the tension between “Atmanirbhar Bharat” and integration.

• Q18 (India-US): Phases: estrangement during the Cold War (non-alignment, US-Pakistan ties, the 1971 war, the 1998 nuclear tests and sanctions), the turning point after 2000, the civil nuclear deal of 2005 to 2008, defence foundational agreements, the Quad and Indo-Pacific cooperation, and technology and trade ties. Convergence: China concerns, defence, technology, the diaspora. Divergence: Russia ties, trade and tariff disputes, data and visa issues, and differing views on human rights and strategic autonomy.

Key Observations

• India’s foreign policy dominates Group B. Five of the six questions (Q13, Q14, Q16, Q17, Q18) are on India’s external relations.

• Theory plus application is the paper’s signature: Q1, Q4, Q6, Q7 and Q10 all had a concept followed by a “how far” test.

• Contemporary themes are everywhere: the Ukraine war, a “New Cold War,” the resurgence of nationalism, space politics and precision weaponry.

• Newer topics appeared (Astropolitics, “precise mass,” feminist IR), so reading beyond the standard textbooks was important.

• Almost all questions had two parts. Candidates who only answered the first part could not get full marks.

How to Answer These Questions: Quick Tips

1. Answer both parts of every question. Use two clear paragraphs, or a short heading for each part.

2. Open with a crisp definition or context and move on quickly in a 250-word answer.

3. Name the theorist or the treaty. For example, “Waltz in Theory of International Politics” or “the Outer Space Treaty, 1967.”

4. Add one or two current examples in every answer.

5. Use the “to what extent” structure. Give arguments for, arguments against, and a balanced verdict.

6. Use small diagrams or tables. A comparison table helps for Q8 (Cold War versus New Cold War) and a phase-wise timeline helps for Q18.

7. Finish within time. Aim for about 10 minutes per 15-mark answer and about 13 minutes per 20-mark answer.

Preparation Strategy for OCS PSIR Paper 2

• Master the IR theories first: Realism, Neorealism, Liberalism, Constructivism, Marxism, Feminism and World-Systems. Make a one-page note for each, with thinkers, ideas and criticisms.

• Build topic-wise India notes for each major relationship (US, Russia, China, neighbours, West Asia, the Indo-Pacific) and for institutions (UN, WTO, BRICS, Quad).

• Read the newspaper daily and link events to concepts, such as the Ukraine war to sovereignty, the US-China rivalry to the “New Cold War,” and drones to “precise mass.”

• Track emerging domains: space, cyber, AI, climate and the Global South.

• Revise previous year papers to see how theory and India-focused questions repeat.

• Practise writing and get your answers evaluated regularly.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. How many questions are there in OCS Mains 2025 PSIR Paper 2?There are 18 questions: 12 in Group A (attempt 10) and 6 in Group B (attempt 5).

Q2. What are the total marks and time for the paper?The paper is for 250 marks and the time allowed is 3 hours.

Q3. What is the word limit for answers?Group A answers are about 250 words (15 marks each), and Group B answers about 300 words (20 marks each).

Q4. Which topics were most important in this paper?India’s foreign policy (the US, Russia, the UN, WTO and strategic autonomy), IR theories (Game Theory, Neorealism, World-Systems Theory, feminism), and contemporary issues such as the Ukraine war, the “New Cold War,” nationalism, astropolitics and precision weaponry.

Q5. How difficult was the paper?Moderate to difficult. Theory questions were standard, but the “precise mass” and Astropolitics questions needed up-to-date reading.

Q6. Where can I get coaching for OCS PSIR optional?Rayacademy IAS offers focused guidance for OCS aspirants. Visit www.rayacademy.co.in or call 7606024205.

The OCS Mains 2025 PSIR Paper 1&2 rewarded candidates who combined strong theory with current awareness and wrote balanced, two-part answers. Use this paper for timed practice, and compare your answers with the analysis above.

Stay connected with Rayacademy IAS for more paper analyses, model answers and preparation guidance for OCS and other civil services examinations.