5 Ideas to Write Intro of UPSC Mains Answer

Introduction in UPSC Mains Answer is key to the examiner's heart and mind


Table of contents

Introduction in UPSC Mains answer is the way to communicate examiner that you’ve understood the demand of the question! Here are the 5 ways to introduce your answer -

1. Fact/data

Give some factual information or data about the key issue in the question.

Eg. Discuss recent measures initiated in disaster management by the Government of India departing from the earlier reactive approach. (UPSC 2020)

In this question, you can give data about disasters such as - 5o lakh people in India migrated due to disaster in 2019 (State of India's Environment Report 2019)

2. Definitional approach

Define the key term in question.

Eg. Women empowerment in India needs gender budgeting. What are the requirements and status of gender budgeting in the Indian context? (UPSC 2016)

Here, you can start the answer by defining the term Gender Budgeting

3. Give current affairs context

Eg. Discuss whether  formation of new states in recent times is beneficial or not for the economy of India. (UPSC 2018)

Here, you can give the current context of demand for separate Vidharbha, Bundelkhand, etc.

4. Relevance of an event

(especially in History questions)

Eg. The Great Uprising of 1857 owes its failure as much to ideological issues as to logistical issues. Analyse.

In this question, you can write the signification of 1857 revolt in the intro

5. Background/historical reference

Again more relevant for history questions. In previous question, you can write the historical background of the 1857 revolt.

Note - These are NOT the only ways to introduce your answer. You can start thinking in such frameworks to come up with a unique and eyecatching intro.


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