Optional Subject - Political Science and International Relations
- Year 2026
- Conducted By Maharashtra Public Service Commission
- Questions 11
- Maximum Marks 150
- Languages Marathi & English
Exam Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Examination | MPSC State Services Main Examination |
| Year | 2026 |
| Conducting Body | Maharashtra Public Service Commission |
| Paper | Optional Subject - Political Science and International Relations |
| Subject | Political Science and International Relations |
| Maximum Marks | 150 |
| Number of Questions | 11 |
| Question Type | Descriptive with sub-parts |
This page hosts the MPSC State Services Main Examination (2026) question paper conducted by Maharashtra Public Service Commission. Subject: Political Science and International Relations. Maximum marks: 150. Question type: descriptive with sub-parts. Read exam instructions and page-2 questions online, or download the official PDF for offline practice.
Major Topics Covered
- Political Theory
- Behaviouralism
- Liberalism
- Legitimacy
- Ecofeminism
- Communitarianism
- Rawls
- Deliberative Democracy
- Hannah Arendt
- Totalitarianism
- Ideology
- Negative Liberty
- Arthashastra
- Human Rights
- Democracy
- Equality
- State Theory
- Justice
- Rights Development
- Public Reason
Why This Paper is Important
- Useful for MPSC State Services Main Examination preparation
- Helps understand the latest exam pattern
- Useful for practice and self-assessment
- Covers frequently asked General Studies topics
- Helpful for analysing question trends
Related Resources
Instructions
- प्रश्नपत्रिकेसंबंधी विशेष सूचना प्रश्नांची उत्तरे लिहिण्यापूर्वी खालील सूचना काळजीपूर्वक वाचा :
- प्रश्नपत्रिकेत एकूण 8 प्रश्न असून दोन विभागात विभागलेले आहेत. त्यापैकी 5 प्रश्न सोडविणे आवश्यक आहेत.
- प्रश्न क्रमांक 1 वे प्रश्न क्रमांक 5 अनिवार्य आहेत. उर्वरित प्रश्नांपैकी 3 प्रश्न सोडविणे अनिवार्य असून त्यापैकी प्रत्येक विभागातील किमान 1 प्रश्न सोडविणे आवश्यक राहील.
- प्रत्येक प्रश्न/उप~प्रश्नांचे गुण त्याच्या समोर दर्शविण्यात आले आहेत.
- अर्जात दावा केल्यानुसार व प्रवेशपत्रात दर्शविल्यानुसार उत्तरपुस्तिकेवर उत्तराचे माध्यम नमूद करावे. अधिकृत माध्यमाव्यतिरिक्त इतर माध्यमात लिहिलेले उत्तर तपासले जाणार नाहीत व त्यांना गुण दिले जाणार नाहीत.
- जेथे पर्याय दिलेले असतील तेथे अनुक्रमाने प्रथम सोडविलेल्या पर्यायांचे आवश्यक संख्येइतक्याच प्रतिसादांचे केवळ मूल्यांकन केले जाईल. एखादे उत्तर काट मारल्याशिवाय अंशत: सोडविले असल्यास ते मोजण्यात येईल. अतिरिक्त प्रतिसादांचे मूल्यांकन केले जाणार नाही आणि त्याकडे दुर्लक्ष केले जाईल.
- उमेदवारांनी प्रश्नाच्या सर्व उप-प्रश्नांची एकत्रित उत्तरे सोडविणे अपेक्षित आहे. जर एखाद्या प्रश्नाचा उप-प्रश्न इतरत्र सोडविल्यास, (काही पृष्ठ सोडल्यानंतर किंवा दुसऱ्या इतर प्रश्नाचा प्रयत्न केल्यानंतर) अशा प्रकरणी नंतरचे उप-प्रश्न मुल्यांकनासाठी दुर्लक्षित केले जातील.
- प्रश्नात शब्द मर्यादा दर्शविलेली असल्यास ती लक्षात घ्या.
- उत्तर पुस्तिकेतील कोणतेही पान किंवा पानाचा भाग रिकामा अथवा कोरा ठेवला असेल तर ते स्पष्टपणे रद्द करणे/काट मारणे आवश्यक आहे.
- अन्यथा नमूद केलेले नसेल तर सांकेतिक चिन्ह, मानके यांना नेहमीचा प्रमाणित अर्थ असेल. आवश्यक असल्यास योग्य विदा (Data) गृहित धरा व तसे स्पष्टपणे नमूद करा.
- आवश्यक असेल तेथे नकाशा/आकृतीचे रेखांकन स्पष्ट असणे आवश्यक राहील.
- There are EIGHT questions divided in two Sections, out of which FIVE are to be attempted.
- Question No. 1 and 5 are compulsory.
- Out of the remaining, THREE are to be attempted choosing at least ONE question from each Section.
- The number of marks carried by a question/sub-question is indicated against it.
- The medium of answer should be mentioned on the answer book as claimed in the application and printed on admission card.
- The answers written in medium other than the authorized medium will not be assessed and no marks will be assigned to them.
- Wherever option has been given, only the required number of responses in the serial grder attempted shall be assessed.
- Unless struck off, attempt of a question shall be counted even if attempted partly.
- Excess responses shall not be assessed and shall be ignored.
- Candidates are expected to answer all the sub-questions of a question together.
- If sub-question of a question is attempted elsewhere (after leaving a few page or after attempting another question) the later sub-question shall be overlooked.
- Keep in mind the word limit indicated in the question if any.
- Any page or portion of the page left blank in the Answer Bookiet must be clearly struck off.
- Unless otherwise mentioned, symbol and notation have their usual standard meanings.
- Assume suitable data, if necessary and indicate the same clearly.
- Neat sketches may be drawn, wherever required. P.T.O.
Questions (page 2)
Q2. Q1(b) What are the drawbacks of the classical liberal understanding of the state?
Q3.
Q1
(c) Discuss the major sources of legitimacy.
Q4. Q1(d) What are the prominent features of ecofeminism?
Q5. Q1(e) Explain the major communitarian objections to Rawls's theory of justice.
Q6. Q2(a) How do the advocates of negative liberty conceptualise equality?
Q7. Q2(b) What are the key goals of human life and branches of knowledge according to the Arthashastra?
Q8.
Q2
(c) Discuss the main stages in the development of human rights.
Q9. Q3(a) What are the hallmarks of deliberative democracy?
Q10. Q3(b) How did Hannah Arendt explain the rise of totalitarianism? Include the idea of the 'end of ideology' as discussed in the work.
Q11.
Q3
(c) Elucidate the 'end of ideology thesis' in a nutshell.
Question paper preview
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Frequently asked questions
What is the structure of the Political Science and IR paper (2026) as per Page 2?
The paper comprises three main questions (Q1, Q2, Q3) with sub-parts (a–e for Q1; a–c for Q2; a–c for Q3). All sub-parts are descriptive in nature and carry indicated marks (mostly 10, 20 or 50 in total across the set).
Are there compulsory questions in this paper?
Yes. According to Page 1 instructions, Question 1 and Question 5 are compulsory; from the remaining questions, candidates must attempt three more—at least one from each section.
What are the main themes covered in Q1?
Q1 covers behavioural approach to political theory, drawbacks of classical liberalism about the state, sources of legitimacy, ecofeminism, and communitarian objections to Rawls.
What topics are addressed in Q2?
Q2 includes negative liberty and equality, goals of human life and Arthashastra's branches of knowledge, and development of human rights.
What topics are addressed in Q3?
Q3 covers hallmarks of deliberative democracy, Hannah Arendt's analysis of totalitarianism including the end of ideology, and a detailed note on the end of ideology thesis.
What is the maximum marks for the paper?
The total maximum marks are 150.