Overview
Indian Society is one of the most expansive and consistently tested subjects in GS1, contributing approximately 6–8 questions per year (roughly 30% of the paper). The syllabus spans four broad themes: salient features and diversity; role of women, population, poverty and urbanisation; effects of globalisation; and social empowerment, communalism, regionalism and secularism.
Over 2013–2025, the subject has yielded 82 mapped questions. Women (10 Qs), Urbanisation (10 Qs), and Social Empowerment (11 Qs combined across two themes) are the three runaway leaders. Caste questions have spiked since 2018, reflecting contemporary social discourse. Globalisation questions became more nuanced post-2019, shifting from culture-homogenisation debates toward technology, migration and identity. The 2025 paper introduced fresh angles on civil-service ethos, smart cities, tribal development and fast food — suggesting examiners are widening their lens toward applied sociology.
| Theme | Sub-themes covered | Total Qs |
|---|---|---|
| T1 — Salient Features & Diversity | Caste, Diversity, Family & Marriage, Salient Features, Tribe | 18 |
| T2 — Women, Population, Poverty, Urbanisation | Women, Migration, Population, Social Empowerment (poverty), Urbanisation | 30 |
| T3 — Globalisation & Society | Aged, Diversity, Ethnicity, Indian Culture, Technology, Women | 10 |
| T4 — Communalism, Regionalism, Secularism, Empowerment | Communalism, Regionalism, Secularism, Social Empowerment | 16 |
| 2025 Additional | Civil Service Ethos, Fast Food/Society, Tribal Development, Smart City, Globalisation & Consumer Culture | 8 |
Syllabus Map
Click each theme to expand its sub-themes and question counts.
T1 — Salient Features of Indian Society & Diversity 18 questions
Caste system, Dalit identity, new associational forms5
Diversity — cultural pockets, regional units, national identity4
Family & Marriage — joint family, sacrament, child socialisation3
Salient Features — continuity, tolerance, social values2
Tribe — scheduled tribes, tribal knowledge, legal provisions4
T2 — Women, Population, Poverty & Urbanisation 30 questions
Women — empowerment, patriarchy, feminisation of agriculture, sex ratio10
Urbanisation — smart cities, megacities, IT hubs, rural-urban integration10
Social Empowerment (poverty/inequality) — deprivation, human development5
Population Related Issues — demographic winter, population education3
Migration — urban migration, labour migration trends2
T3 — Effects of Globalisation on Indian Society 10 questions
Globalisation & Indian Culture — homogenisation vs. specificities3
Globalisation & Women — urban migration, personal freedom2
Globalisation & Technology — cryptocurrency, scarce resources2
Globalisation & Ethnicity — post-liberal economy, communalism1
Globalisation & Diversity — pluralism under threat1
Globalisation & Aged — effects on elderly1
T4 — Social Empowerment, Communalism, Regionalism & Secularism 16 questions
Social Empowerment — affirmative action, NGO collaboration, aspiration districts6
Secularism — Indian vs. Western model, tolerance, cultural challenges4
Regionalism — cultural assertiveness, linguistic states, separate state demand4
Communalism — power struggle, relative deprivation, religiosity2
T5 — 2025 Questions (Cross-cutting) 8 questions
Civil Service Ethos — professionalism & nationalistic consciousness1
Fast Food Industry & Health Concerns — Indian experience1
Tribal Development — displacement & rehabilitation axes1
Smart City — urban poverty & distributive justice1
Globalisation & Consumer Culture — aggressive consumerism debate1
Sustainable Growth vs. Poor People’s Needs1
Jotirao Phule — social reform, subaltern classes1
India’s Consolidation — polity, economy, education, IR1
Heatmap — Theme × Year
Darker = more questions that year. Counts per theme per year.
| Theme | ’13 | ’14 | ’15 | ’16 | ’17 | ’18 | ’19 | ’20 | ’21 | ’22 | ’23 | ’24 | ’25 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 — Salient Features & Diversity | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 18 |
| T2 — Women, Pop., Urbanisation | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 32 |
| T3 — Globalisation | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| T4 — Empowerment, Communalism, Secularism | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
| Total per Year | 5 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 4+ | 81 |
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Trends
Total Society PYQs per Year (2013–2025)
| Year | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qs | 5 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 4+ |
Year-wise Trend — Top Sub-themes (Women · Urbanisation · Caste · Secularism)
| Sub-theme | ’13 | ’14 | ’15 | ’16 | ’17 | ’18 | ’19 | ’20 | ’21 | ’22 | ’23 | ’24 | ’25 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 16 |
| Urbanisation | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| Caste | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Secularism | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Theme-wise Share of Society Questions (2013–2025)
Questions by Theme
T1 — Salient Features of Indian Society & Diversity
18 questions
GS1 → Indian Society → Salient Features, Diversity, Caste, Tribes, Family
Intercaste marriages between castes which have socio-economic parity have increased, to some extent, but this is less true of interreligious marriages. Discuss.
Maps to caste dynamics, social stratification, and changing marriage patterns in Indian society.
Critically analyse the proposition that there is a high correlation between India’s cultural diversities and socio-economic marginalities.
Intersects cultural diversity with poverty and marginalisation — core salient features topic.
Why is caste identity in India both fluid and static?
Directly addresses the dialectics of caste identity — a core syllabus topic.
Do you think marriage as a sacrament is losing its value in Modern India?
Examines transformation of marriage as a social institution — family & sacrament sub-theme.
Child cuddling is now being replaced by mobile phones. Discuss its impact on the socialization of children.
Contemporary take on family, childhood socialisation, and technology’s role — family & society intersection.
Given the diversities among tribal communities in India, in which specific context should they be considered as a single category?
Directly addresses tribal diversity vs. administrative category — scheduled tribes topic.
How does Indian society maintain continuity in traditional social values? Enumerate the changes taking place in it.
Core salient features of Indian society — continuity and change dialectic.
Examine the uniqueness of tribal knowledge system when compared with mainstream knowledge and cultural systems.
Addresses tribal knowledge and culture — a key scheduled tribes sub-theme.
Has caste lost its relevance in understanding the multi-cultural Indian Society? Elaborate your answer with illustrations.
Explores caste’s continued relevance in multicultural India — directly maps to caste sub-theme.
Do we have cultural pockets of small India all over the nation? Elaborate with examples.
Explores micro-cultural diversity and plurality — diversity of India sub-theme.
“Caste system is assuming new identities and associational forms. Hence, caste system cannot be eradicated in India.” Comment.
Examines the adaptive persistence of caste in contemporary India — caste sub-theme.
In the context of the diversity of India, can it be said that the regions form cultural units rather than the States? Give reasons with examples.
Examines regional vs. State-based cultural identity — diversity of India sub-theme.
The spirit of tolerance and love is not only an interesting feature of Indian society from very early times, but it is also playing an important part at present. Elaborate.
Salient features of Indian society — tolerance and plurality as defining characteristics.
What are the two major legal initiatives by the State since Independence addressing discrimination against Scheduled Tribes (STs)?
Constitutional and legal provisions for Scheduled Tribes — tribe sub-theme.
Why are the tribals in India referred to as ‘the Scheduled Tribes’? Indicate the major provisions enshrined in the Constitution of India for their upliftment.
Constitutional provisions for scheduled tribes — directly maps to tribes sub-theme.
Debate the issue whether and how contemporary movements for assertion of Dalit identity work towards annihilation of caste.
Dalit identity assertion and caste annihilation — caste and social movements sub-theme.
Describe any four cultural elements of diversity in India and rate their relative significance in building a national identity.
Cultural diversity and national identity — diversity sub-theme of Indian society.
The life cycle of a joint family depends on economic factors rather than social values. Discuss.
Joint family structure and its economic underpinnings — family and marriage sub-theme.
T2 — Role of Women
10 questions
GS1 → Society → Women, Population & Associated Issues → Role of Women
Distinguish between gender equality, gender equity and women’s empowerment. Why is it important to take gender concerns into account in programme design and implementation?
Conceptual clarity on gender — role of women and development programmes.
Globalization has increased urban migration by skilled, young, unmarried women from various classes. How has this trend impacted upon their personal freedom and relationship with family?
Globalisation’s effect on women’s autonomy and family relations — women & globalisation sub-theme.
Explain why suicide among young women is increasing in Indian society.
Women’s mental health and socio-structural pressures — role of women sub-theme.
Examine the role of ‘Gig Economy’ in the process of empowerment of women in India.
New economy’s gendered impact — women’s economic empowerment sub-theme.
“Empowering women is the key to control population growth.” Discuss.
Women’s empowerment and demographic outcomes — intersects women and population sub-themes.
What are the continued challenges for women in India against time and space?
Persistent gender-based challenges across social and spatial contexts.
‘Women’s movement in India has not addressed the issues of women of lower social strata.’ Substantiate your view.
Critique of women’s movements and class bias — role of women in social movements.
How does patriarchy impact the position of a middle class working woman in India?
Patriarchal structures and women’s social position — role of women sub-theme.
Why do some of the most prosperous regions of India have an adverse sex ratio for women? Give your arguments.
Sex ratio and prosperity paradox — women and population associated issues.
Discuss the various economic and socio-cultural forces that are driving increasing feminization of agriculture in India.
Feminisation of labour in agriculture — role of women in economy and rural society.
Male membership needs to be encouraged in order to make women’s organization free from gender bias. Comment.
Structural reform of women’s organisations — gender dynamics in social institutions.
T2 — Population Issues & Migration
5 questions
GS1 → Society → Population & Associated Issues, Poverty & Development → Migration, Demographics
What is the concept of a ‘demographic winter’? Is the world moving towards such a situation? Elaborate.
Population decline and demographic challenges — population and associated issues sub-theme.
Why do large cities tend to attract more migrants than smaller towns? Discuss in the light of conditions in developing countries.
Rural-urban migration dynamics — migration sub-theme of population and development.
Discuss the main objectives of Population Education and point out the measures to achieve them in India in detail.
Population education and policy — directly maps to population associated issues.
Critically examine whether growing population is the cause of poverty OR poverty is the main cause of population increase in India.
Poverty-population nexus — intersects population and poverty sub-themes.
Discuss the changes in the trends of labour migration within and outside India in the last four decades.
Labour migration trends — migration sub-theme under population and development.
T2 — Urbanisation, Poverty & Social Empowerment
15 questions
GS1 → Society → Poverty & Development, Urbanisation → Smart Cities, Megacities, Poverty
How does smart city in India address the issues of urban poverty and distributive justice?
Smart city’s social justice dimension — urbanisation and poverty sub-theme.
Achieving sustainable growth with emphasis on environmental protection could come into conflict with poor people’s needs in a country like India — Comment.
Development-environment-poverty triad — poverty, development and sustainability intersection.
What is regional disparity? How does it differ from diversity? How serious is the issue of regional disparity in India?
Regional inequalities in development — social empowerment and poverty sub-theme.
Does urbanization lead to more segregation and/or marginalization of the poor in Indian metropolises?
Urban poverty and spatial marginalisation — urbanisation sub-theme.
Why did human development fail to keep pace with economic development in India?
Human development deficit — poverty, development and social empowerment sub-theme.
Explore and evaluate the impact of ‘Work From Home’ on family relationships.
WFH and its social impact — urbanisation and changing work patterns sub-theme.
How is the growth of Tier 2 cities related to the rise of a new middle class with an emphasis on the culture of consumption?
Tier 2 urbanisation and consumerism — urbanisation and social structure sub-theme.
What are the main socio-economic implications arising out of the development of IT industries in major cities of India?
IT-led urbanisation and socio-economic change — urbanisation sub-theme.
COVID-19 pandemic accelerated class inequalities and poverty in India. Comment.
Pandemic’s socio-economic impact — poverty and social empowerment sub-theme.
‘Despite implementation of various programmes for eradication of poverty by the government in India, poverty is still existing.’ Explain by giving reasons.
Persistence of poverty despite policy interventions — poverty sub-theme.
“The growth of cities as I.T. hubs has opened up new avenues of employment, but has also created new problems.” Substantiate with examples.
IT urbanisation — dual impact on cities — urbanisation sub-theme.
“An essential condition to eradicate poverty is to liberate the poor from the process of deprivation.” Substantiate this statement with suitable examples.
Deprivation and poverty cycle — poverty and development sub-theme.
With a brief background of quality of urban life in India, introduce the objectives and strategy of the ‘Smart City Programme.’
Smart city policy and urban quality of life — urbanisation sub-theme.
Smart cities in India cannot sustain without smart villages. Discuss this statement in the backdrop of rural-urban integration.
Rural-urban integration and smart development — urbanisation and rural society.
Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata are the three Mega cities of the country but air pollution is a much more serious problem in Delhi as compared to the other two. Why is this so?
Megacity environmental challenges — urbanisation sub-theme.
Discuss the various social problems which originated out of the speedy process of urbanization in India.
Urbanisation’s social consequences — urbanisation sub-theme.
T3 — Effects of Globalisation on Indian Society
11 questions
GS1 → Society → Globalisation → Indian Culture, Women, Technology, Ethnicity, Diversity
Do you think that globalization results in only an aggressive consumer culture? Justify your answer.
Globalisation and cultural homogenisation vs. resistance — Indian culture and globalisation.
Discuss the impact of post-liberal economy on ethnic identity and communalism.
Post-liberalisation and ethnic assertiveness — globalisation and ethnicity sub-theme.
Elucidate the relationship between globalization and new technology in a world of scarce resources with special reference to India.
Globalisation-technology nexus and resource access — technology and globalisation sub-theme.
What is Cryptocurrency? How does it affect global society? Has it been affecting Indian society also?
Digital currency and social impact — globalisation and technology sub-theme.
Is diversity and pluralism in India under threat due to globalisation? Justify your answer.
Globalisation’s threat to India’s cultural diversity and pluralism — diversity sub-theme.
Are we losing our local identity for the global identity? Discuss.
Local identity under globalisation — cultural homogenisation vs. preservation sub-theme.
‘Globalisation is generally said to promote cultural homogenisation but due to this cultural specificities appear to be strengthened in the Indian society.’ Elucidate.
Paradox of globalisation strengthening cultural specificities — Indian culture sub-theme.
To what extent globalisation has influenced the core of cultural diversity in India? Explain.
Globalisation’s cultural impact on Indian diversity.
Discuss the positive and negative effects of globalization on women in India?
Globalisation’s gendered impact — women and globalisation sub-theme.
Critically examine the effects of globalization on the aged population in India.
Globalisation and elderly — globalisation and aged sub-theme.
T4 — Communalism & Secularism
6 questions
GS1 → Society → Social Empowerment, Communalism, Regionalism & Secularism → Communalism, Secularism
Are tolerance, assimilation and pluralism the key elements in the making of an Indian form of secularism? Justify your answer.
Defining Indian secularism — secularism sub-theme.
Customs and traditions suppress reason leading to obscurantism. Do you agree?
Tradition vs. reason — secularism and rationalism sub-theme.
What are the challenges to our cultural practices in the name of secularism?
Secularism and cultural practices — secularism sub-theme.
‘Communalism arises either due to power struggle or relative deprivation.’ Argue by giving suitable illustrations.
Origins of communalism — communalism sub-theme.
How is the Indian concept of secularism different from the Western model of secularism? Discuss.
Indian vs. Western secularism — comparative secularism sub-theme.
Distinguish between religiousness/religiosity and communalism, giving one example of how the former has got transformed into the latter in independent India.
Religiosity to communalism transformation — communalism sub-theme.
T4 — Regionalism
4 questions
GS1 → Society → Social Empowerment, Communalism, Regionalism & Secularism → Regionalism
Do you agree that regionalism in India appears to be a consequence of rising cultural assertiveness? Argue.
Regionalism as cultural assertiveness — regionalism sub-theme.
What is the basis of regionalism? Is it that unequal distribution of benefits of development on regional basis eventually promotes regionalism? Substantiate your answer.
Development inequality and regionalism — regional disparity and identity.
Has the formation of linguistic states strengthened the cause of Indian unity?
Linguistic states and national unity — regionalism and diversity sub-theme.
Growing feeling of regionalism is an important factor in the generation of demand for a separate state. Discuss.
Regionalism and state formation demands — regionalism sub-theme.
T4 — Social Empowerment
6 questions
GS1 → Society → Social Empowerment, Communalism, Regionalism & Secularism → Social Empowerment
Mahatma Jotirao Phule’s writings and efforts of social reforms touched issues of almost all subaltern classes. Discuss.
Social reform legacy and subaltern empowerment — social empowerment and reform movements.
In dealing with socio-economic issues of development, what kind of collaboration between government, NGOs and private sector would be most productive?
Multi-stakeholder approach to development — social empowerment and governance sub-theme.
Despite comprehensive policies for equity and social justice, underprivileged sections are not yet getting the full benefits of affirmative action envisaged by the Constitution. Comment.
Affirmative action and constitutional ideals — social empowerment sub-theme.
Analyse the salience of ‘sect’ in Indian society vis-a-vis caste, region and religion.
Sect as social identity — social empowerment and identity sub-theme.
How have digital initiatives in India contributed to the functioning of the education system in the country? Elaborate your answer.
Digital access and educational empowerment — social empowerment via technology.
Mention core strategies for the transformation of aspirational districts in India and explain the nature of convergence, collaboration and competition for its success.
Aspirational district programme — social empowerment through governance sub-theme.
How do you explain the statistics that show that the sex ratio in Tribes in India is more favourable to women than the sex ratio among Scheduled Castes?
Gender dynamics among tribals vs. SCs — social empowerment and gender sub-theme.
The ethos of civil service in India stand for the combination of professionalism with nationalistic consciousness — Elucidate.
Civil service values and national ethos — society and governance intersection.
How do you account for the growing fast food industries given that there are increased health concerns in modern society? Illustrate your answer with the Indian experience.
Consumerism, health and society — globalisation and consumer culture in Indian society.
Does tribal development in India centre around two axes, those of displacement and rehabilitation? Give your opinion.
Tribal development paradigm — scheduled tribes and social empowerment sub-theme.
Insights
How to use: Society questions reward integrative answers that connect sociological theory with contemporary Indian examples. Cover at least 2–3 sub-themes deeply and read at least one standard sociology text alongside newspaper editorials.
High Yield Topics (Must-Prepare)
Women (16 Qs) and Urbanisation (17 Qs) together account for nearly 40% of all Society questions. These two sub-themes have appeared in every year without exception since 2013. Within women, the axes of patriarchy, empowerment, feminisation of labour, and sex ratio are the most repeated frames. Within urbanisation, Smart Cities, IT hubs, and rural-urban linkages dominate. Caste (5 Qs) has spiked sharply since 2018 — prepare Ambedkar, Dalit assertions, and new caste forms thoroughly. Secularism (6 Qs) appears almost every alternate year.
Trend Shifts (2013–2025)
2013–2016 saw heavy emphasis on structural topics: urbanisation, regional issues, secularism. From 2017 onward, a noticeable shift toward applied sociology is evident — questions on Gig Economy, Cryptocurrency, WFH, Demographic Winter, and Aspirational Districts reflect examiners tracking contemporary policy and economic changes. The 2025 paper pushed this further with questions on fast food industry, civil service ethos, and sustainable growth vs. poor people’s needs. Globalisation questions have also evolved from simple homogenisation debates (pre-2016) to more nuanced technology-identity-ethnicity intersections (post-2019).
Recurring Question Frames
The most frequent directive verbs in Society are: Discuss (~35%), Elaborate/Elucidate (~20%), Comment (~15%), Critically examine/analyse (~15%), and Argue/Justify (~10%). Notice that “Comment” is heavily used for controversial propositions — prepare both sides. “Critically examine” demands you identify both strengths and weaknesses. “Justify your answer” expects a clear stance with evidence.
Coverage Gaps (Low PYQ but High Syllabus Importance)
Despite being explicitly on the syllabus, the following have fewer than 2 PYQs and are ripe for future papers: weaker sections of society beyond women and tribals (e.g., persons with disabilities), social capital and civil society, empowerment of minorities as a distinct theme (most questions treat minorities within secularism), and population ageing (touched in 2024’s demographic winter Q but largely unexplored). Prepare 2–3 crisp answers on each of these as buffer topics.
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