The UPSC CSE Mains 2025 GS Paper-1 once again proved that La Excellence’s RRP (Core Batch) has been a near-perfect rehearsal ground for aspirants. On detailed analysis, we find that 12 out of 20 questions in the official paper had a direct or partial resemblance with RRP’s carefully designed test questions.

At La Excellence, we believe in integrity and transparency. We do not indulge in fake or inflated claims. Our analysis is based only on verifiable overlaps between UPSC questions and RRP tests, presented exactly as they are. The purpose of this comparison is not self-congratulation, but to show aspirants how RRP equips them with the right analytical frameworks, depth, and thinking process that UPSC consistently demands.

Reflection from RRP tests:

Full Matches (8 questions): Topics like solar energy, tsunamis, smart cities, globalization, artificial intelligence, tectonic movements, Ganga Basin population, and sustainable growth were not just broadly covered but framed in strikingly similar ways in RRP tests. Aspirants who practiced these found themselves answering UPSC questions with confidence and depth.

Partial Matches (4 questions): Even in areas like Akbar’s syncretism, sea-level rise and Jotirao Phule’s reforms, RRP had thematically primed students to think along the same analytical lines.

This overlap highlights a crucial point: RRP doesn’t merely “guess” UPSC questions; it builds the intellectual framework and analytical readiness that UPSC consistently demands.

For students, this is a big takeaway – practicing RRP questions isn’t just about coverage, it’s about learning to think the UPSC way. With 60% of GS Paper-1 either directly or indirectly covered, RRP 2025 once again demonstrates why it remains the gold standard for serious aspirants.

Full Match with RRP (Strong Overlap)

Q6. UPSC: Explain briefly the ecological and economic benefits of solar energy generation in India.
RRP Matches:

• Test-24 Q4: Solar-powered irrigation holds significant promise for sustainable and energy-efficient farming in India. Discuss the major opportunities it presents and the key challenges limiting its widespread adoption.
• GS Test-11 Q7: Analyze the distribution and potential of solar energy resources in India. What are the challenges and opportunities in harnessing this potential?

Q7. UPSC: What are Tsunamis? How and where are they formed? What are their consequences?
RRP Match:

• Test-32 Q5: Tsunamis arise from a complex interplay between tectonic disturbances and oceanographic factors. Discuss the geophysical causes and propagation mechanisms of tsunamis, with reference to their global distribution and major hotspots.

Q8. UPSC: How does smart city in India address the issues of urban poverty and distributive justice?
RRP Matches:

• Test-45 Q18: Urbanisation of poverty has emerged as a critical challenge in India’s urban transformation. Discuss its implications for sustainable, inclusive, and resilient city development, and suggest suitable policy interventions.
• GS Test-13 Q8: Holistic urban development requires addressing various interconnected issues such as housing, transport, sanitation, and waste management. Critically examine the achievements and shortcomings of the AMRUT scheme in this context.

Q10. UPSC: Do you think that globalization results in only an aggressive consumer culture?
RRP Matches:

• Test-39 Q1: Examine how rising consumerism is reshaping lifestyles and altering patterns of social behaviour in contemporary society, with relevant examples.
• GS Test-12 Q5: Evaluate the impact of globalization on the youth culture in India. How has it influenced their values, aspirations, and lifestyle?

Q15. UPSC: How can Artificial Intelligence (AI) and drones be effectively used along with GIS and RS techniques in locational and areal planning?
RRP Match:

• Test-19 Q1: Artificial Intelligence is emerging as a transformative tool in disaster risk reduction and response. Discuss the role of AI in disaster management and highlight key challenges in its adoption in India.

Q16. UPSC: Discuss how the changes in shape and sizes of continents and ocean basins of the planet take place due to tectonic movements of the crustal masses.
RRP Match:

• GS Test-11 Q6: Analyze the relationship between sea floor spreading and plate tectonics. Also highlight how this process contributes to the overall theory of plate tectonics.

Q17. UPSC: Discuss the distribution and density of population in the Ganga River Basin with special reference to land, soil and water resources.
RRP Match:

• Test-33 Q3: The fluvial framework of India has been instrumental in guiding demographic concentration and settlement evolution. Analyze how river systems have shaped population patterns across varied physiographic regions.

Q19. UPSC: Achieving sustainable growth with emphasis on environmental protection could come into conflict with poor people’s needs in a country like India – Comment.
RRP Match:

• Test-12 Q1: Discuss how climate sustainability can drive inclusive growth in India. Support your answer with examples of policies that integrate environmental goals with social and economic inclusion.

Partial Match with RRP (Moderate Overlap)

Q2. UPSC: Examine the main aspects of Akbar’s religious syncretism.
RRP Match:

• Test-45 Q2: Sufism, through its inclusive worldview and grassroots engagement, played a pivotal role in shaping the syncretic cultural ethos of medieval India. Discuss.

Q4. UPSC: How are climate change and the sea level rise affecting the very existence of many island nations?
RRP Match:

• Test-36 Q5: Analyse how global warming is accelerating the melting of polar and glacial ice caps. Discuss its implications for sea level rise and climate variability in tropical regions, with special reference to India.

Q9. The ethos of civil service in India stand for the combination of professionalism with nationalistic consciousness – Elucidate. (Answer in 150 words) – 10

• GS-2 FLT: Q4. Discuss the colonial origins of the Indian civil services and analyse their impact on the functioning and ethos of the present-day bureaucracy. 10 M

Q11. UPSC: Mahatma Jotirao Phule’s writings and efforts of social reforms touched issues of almost all subaltern classes.
RRP Match:

• GS Test-10 Q7: Explain the role of social and religious reform movements in the 19th century in shaping the Indian renaissance. How did they contribute to the rise of nationalism in India?

The analysis of UPSC CSE Mains 2025 GS Paper-1 reaffirms that La Excellence’s (RRP Tests ) is not about chasing predictions but about preparing aspirants in a disciplined, analytical, and UPSC-oriented manner.

With 12 out of 20 questions showing direct or partial overlap, the value of practicing RRP questions becomes evident. More importantly, our strength lies in honesty and integrity — we highlight only genuine matches, never exaggerations. For aspirants, the lesson is clear: consistent practice with RRP equips you with the skills, confidence, and clarity needed to face the toughest exam in the country.

#Mains2025 #IAS #GSPaper-1

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