On August 31, 2025, the UPSC held the CSE Mains 2025 History Optional Paper. This paper, tailored for IAS aspirants, sharply focused on the integration and application of concepts from Ancient, Medieval, Modern Indian, and World History. For future candidates, it is valuable to go through the paper and understand the focus areas in order to grasp the syllabus and prepare well for the exam.
| Exam Name | UPSC Civil Services Mains Exam 2025 |
| Total Optional Subjects in the UPSC CSE Exam | 48 subjects |
| UPSC History Optional Exam Date | 31st August 2025 |
| UPSC History Optional Paper Duration | History Optional Paper-I (Morning Session – 9 AM to 12 PM) History Optional Paper-II (Afternoon Session – 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM) |
| Total Marks (History Optional) | 500 Marks (250 Marks Each) |
UPSC Mains 2025 History Optional Paper-I
SECTION A
1. Identify the following places marked on the map supplied to you and write a short note of about 30 words on each of them in your Question-cum-Answer Booklet. Locational hints for each of the places marked on the map are given below seriatim: 50 Marks
(i) Neolithic site
(ii) Mesolithic site
(iii) Paleolithic site
(iv) Neolithic site with stone artefacts
(v) Site of Indus Valley Civilization
(vi) Early Harappan site with a fire-pit
(vii) Late Harappan site
(viii) The Ochre Coloured Pottery (OCP) site
(ix) Mesolithic site
(x) Megalithic site
(xi) Mahajanapada of South India
(xii) Buddha’s Mahaparinirvana
(xiii) Major Rock Edict of Asoka
(xiv) Asokan Minor Rock Edict
(xv) Commercial centre of the Mauryas
(xvi) Saka-Kushan coin hoard
(xvii) An inscription mentioning Ashvamedha Sacrifice
(xviii) Site of Post-Mauryan period burnt brick house
(xix) Terracotta craft centre of Post-Mauryan period
(xx) Important port of the Pallava period
2. (a) “The Chalcolithic people were experts in microliths and were also skilful workers in stone.” Elucidate. 15 Marks
(b) “The Harappans were not an artistic people.” Comment. 15 Marks
(c) “The ideological challenge posed by Jainism and Buddhism was deeply rooted in the socio-economic transformations brought about by the expansion of agrarian settlements in eastern India.” Explain. 20 Marks
3. (a) “The origin of the territorial republics has been traced to the reaction against the pattern of life that evolved in the later Vedic period.” Analyse. 15 Marks
(b) How far did the Mauryans facilitate the diffusion of the material culture of the Gangetic plains? Explain. 15 Marks
(c) Examine the nature and impact of India’s contacts with Central Asia during the 1st to 3rd century CE. How did these interactions influence India’s political, cultural and economic spheres? 20 Marks
4. (a) “The dynamics of social mobility in early medieval India were shaped by a complex interplay of caste hierarchies, religious legitimation, economic transformation and political patronage.” Critically assess how these factors collectively reconfigured the structure of early medieval Indian society. 15 Marks
(b) Discuss the circumstances which led to the conflict between the Pallavas and the Chalukyas and mention how this rivalry shaped the power dynamics in South India. 15 Marks
(c) Critically evaluate the major stages in the development of art and literature in early medieval India and explain how these stages reflected wider changes in society and patterns of patronage during the period. 20 Marks
SECTION B
5. Answer the following questions in about 150 words each: 10×5=50
(a) “Religious themes inspired a large section of literature in provincial languages in late medieval India.” Comment. 10 Marks
(b) “Alauddin Khilji’s economic measures aimed at centralising political authority in the Delhi Sultanate.” Elucidate. 10 Marks
(c) Critically assess the role of imperial Karkhanas in Mughal India. How did they reflect the ideological and functional imperatives of the Mughal State? 10 Marks
(d) “The principles of Sikhism represented a harmonious blend of Islamic and Indic religious beliefs and practices.” Comment. 10 Marks
(e) Gunpowder changed the character of warfare in India during the Mughal era. Elucidate. 10 Marks
6. (a) Discuss the structural features of Todar Mal’s revenue system and evaluate its effectiveness in standardized land revenue assessment in India. 15 Marks
(b) Barani’s “Fatwa-i-Jahandari” was not a proper account of the Delhi Sultanate, rather a lament. Elucidate. 15 Marks
(c) Discuss the development of Hindi literature under Mughal patronage. How did the Bhakti and Sufi Movements influence it? 20 Marks
Q7. (a) Portuguese maritime power disrupted the character of trade in the Indian Ocean in the 16th century. Review. 15 Marks
(b) Akbar’s Rajput policy was shaped by considerations of factional politics in the Mughal court. Discuss. 15 Marks
(c) Evaluate the impact of Mughal revenue administration on the agrarian structure of North India. To what extent did it bring continuity and change in the rural socio-economic fabric? 20 Marks
8. (a) “Aurangzeb’s religious policy was a reflection of the changed political realities of the Mughal Empire. Elucidate.” 15 Marks
(b) Define the rise of distinct provincial architectural styles under the Mughal Empire in light of structural diversity, cultural interaction and the nature of provincial power dynamics. 15 Marks
(c) Critically examine the political, military and administrative factors that led to the transformation of the Maratha character in the 18th century. How did these changes influence its rise and eventual decline? 20 Marks
UPSC Mains 2025 History Optional Paper-II
SECTION A
Critically examine the following statements in about 150 words each: 10×5=50
(a) “The Sikh monarchy was Napoleonic in the suddenness of its rise, the brilliancy of its success and the completeness of its overthrow.”
(b) “The seeds of domestic dissensions were thickly and deeply sown in the Maratha system under the Peshwas.”
(c) “Bhagat Singh and his comrades significantly expanded the meaning and scope of revolution, redefining it beyond mere political upheaval to include social and ideological transformation.”
(d) “The significant feature of the Indian Councils Act of 1892 was the principle of election which it introduced, though the word ‘election’ was very carefully avoided in it.”
(e) “The colonial rule opened the Indian markets for British-manufactured goods and led to ‘deindustrialization’ or destruction of indigenous handicraft industries.”
2. (a) Do you agree that the idea of permanent fixation of land revenue of 1793 in Bengal was highly influenced by the Physiocratic school of thinking? Discuss. 20 Marks
(b) “The tug of war between the two principles of freedom and control of the press made its influence felt on the colonial rulers’ attitude to the press.” Discuss. 20 Marks
(c) “The movement for linguistic States generated deep apprehensions among the nationalist elite. They feared it would lead to the Balkanization of India.” Examine. 10 Marks
3. (a) During the Carnatic Wars, the French position, which at one time dazzled the Indian world by its political successes, was destined to end in humiliation and failure.” Explain. 20 Marks
(b) Why has the ‘safety valve theory’ related to the foundation of the Indian National Congress been thoroughly discredited by recent researchers? Analyze. 20 Marks
(c) The emergence of Gandhi signified the Indianization of the national movement.” Analyze with reference to his early movements between 1917–1922. 10 Marks
4. (a) “The tensions between cultural revivalism and modernization shaped the trajectory of the socio-religious reform movements in 19th century India.” Discuss. 20 Marks
(b) In what ways did the tribal and peasant uprisings of the 19th century contribute to the rise and growth of nationalism in India? Examine. 20 Marks
(c) Discuss the major initiatives taken by the Government of India for the removal of caste injustice and inequality after 1947. 10 Marks
SECTION B
5. Critically examine the following statements in about 150 words each: 10×5=50
(a)“The French Revolution started and led to the victory in its first phase by the aristocracy.”
(b) “With the Reform Act of 1832 began an activity in reconstructing legislation to which there had been no parallel in British history.”
(c) “The First World War did not produce just political consequences, it also had a deep impact on the ways of thinking.”
(d) “In the Soviet Union, as also in China, there was a strong belief that anti-imperial movements in the colonies would result in their moving into the socialist orbit.”
(e) “The pre-Marxian socialist thinkers envisioned socialist societies without fully considering the practical mechanisms for achieving or maintaining them.”
6. (a) “Nationalism in the 19th century was a driving force for both integration and disintegration.” Illustrate with examples from Europe and other parts of the world. 20 Marks
(b) “The American Revolution was, in many respects, a manifestation of the Enlightenment in political, civil and ecclesiastical spheres.” Explain. 20 Marks
(c) Did new imperialism represent a continuation of old colonial practices or did it mark a fundamental shift in global power structure? Discuss critically. 10 Marks
7. (a) “By the time of 1932 elections, Germany’s ruling classes began to feel that the only way to escape from a deep economic crisis was to hand over political power to a totalitarian agency.” Explain. 20 Marks
(b) Discuss critically the salient features of Mikhail Gorbachev’s domestic reforms. 20 Marks
(c) “Anti-clericalism of the Enlightenment echoed the sentiments of the Renaissance and the Reformation. Yet it neither endorsed the paganism of the Renaissance nor did it share the faith of Reformation.” Discuss. 10 Marks
8. (a) Why did the non-communist Vietnamese leaders fail to provide successful leadership for Indo-China’s anti-colonial struggle? Discuss. 20 Marks
(b) To what extent did the concept of free trade of European Economic Community contribute to the formation of European Union? Examine. 20 Marks
(c) Examine the impact of the links between scientific education and industrial expansion on German society in the early 20th century. 10 Marks
UPSC Mains 2025 History Optional Papers PDF
The 2025 UPSC CSE Mains History Optional Paper has been completed and the question paper is now available for download. Having this question paper is helpful since it allows one to refer to all the questions at once, which is crucial to gather the exact nuances of the History Optional Subject. Students with optional History can analyse the question paper to check the range of topics tested and the level of questions, which further help in understanding the examination pattern. Below is the link to download the question paper of History Optional for 2025 UPSC Mains for your convenience.
How to Download the UPSC Civil Services Mains 2025 History Optional Papers?
To download the UPSC Civil Services Mains 2025 History Optional Papers, follow these steps:
- Visit the Official UPSC Website: Go to the official website of the Union Public Service Commission at upsc.gov.in.
- Navigate to the Examination Section: Look for the ‘Examinations’ tab in the main menu and click on it.
- Select ‘Previous Year Papers’: Within the Examinations section, find the link for ‘Previous Year Papers’ papers.
- Locate the 2025 Mains Examination Papers: Look for the section dedicated to the 2025 Civil Services Mains Examination.
- Find the History Optional Paper: Scroll through the list of available papers to locate the History Optional Paper.
- Download the PDF: Click on the link for the History Optional Paper to open it. Then, you can download the PDF file by clicking the download icon or using the ‘Save As’ option from your browser.
- Save for Reference: Once downloaded, save the document in a folder for easy access and future reference.
The History Optional Paper for the UPSC Mains 2025 has provided candidates with an important example of how to address the needs of the exam and how to prepare for the exams in a more focused manner. Kindly keep your eyes open for the further information and analysis to the Mains Optional Examination, and make use of the link to download the History Optional Question Paper.
