Introduction
The CSS Political Science Paper 1 (2020) covered both classical and modern political thought. It tested Greek philosophy (Plato, Al-Farabi), Islamic thinkers (Iqbal, Nizam-ul-Mulk), legal theory (Austin, Hobbes), modern economists (Adam Smith), and international politics (UN, Grotius). Here are the 20 solved MCQs with explanations.
Political Science Paper 1 – MCQs (2020 with Answers)
1. A voluntary union of sovereign and independent states is called:
(a) Federation
(b) Confederation
(c) Unitary State
(d) None of these
✅ Answer: (b) Confederation
👉 Confederation = loose union of independent states, unlike a federation where sovereignty is shared.
2. The dissolution of Khilafat and the establishment of Grand National Assembly in Turkey was highly appreciated by:
(a) Allama Iqbal
(b) Maulana Shaukat Ali
(c) Mohammad Ali Jinnah
(d) None of these
✅ Answer: (a) Allama Iqbal
👉 Iqbal praised Atatürk’s reforms and republican model in Turkey.
3. “Law is the command of a determinate sovereign” was said by:
(a) John Austin
(b) Laski
(c) Bentham
(d) None of these
✅ Answer: (a) John Austin
👉 Austin’s command theory of law views law as orders backed by sanctions from a sovereign.
4. Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam is written by:
(a) Syed Amir Ali
(b) Allama Iqbal
(c) Hamid Ahmad
(d) None of these
✅ Answer: (b) Allama Iqbal
👉 Iqbal’s famous lectures published in 1930s focus on Islamic philosophy and reform.
5. Only the will of the sovereign can be the source of law, according to:
(a) Thomas Hobbes
(b) John Austin
(c) Grotius
(d) None of these
✅ Answer: (b) John Austin
👉 Austin’s legal positivism holds that laws derive solely from sovereign authority.
6. Those who are active against the very existence of the state are known as:
(a) Fascists
(b) Anarchists
(c) Socialists
(d) None of these
✅ Answer: (b) Anarchists
👉 Anarchists reject the idea of the state altogether.
7. In Plato’s Ideal State, one reaches the pinnacle of the State order at the age of:
(a) 35
(b) 40
(c) 50
(d) None of these
✅ Answer: (c) 50
👉 At 50, philosopher-kings were allowed to rule after years of education and training.
8. Wealth of Nations was written by:
(a) John Stuart Mill
(b) Jeremy Bentham
(c) Adam Smith
(d) None of these
✅ Answer: (c) Adam Smith
👉 Published in 1776, considered the foundation of modern economics.
9. Plato is the author of:
(a) Republic
(b) Social Contract
(c) History of Political Thought
(d) None of these
✅ Answer: (a) Republic
👉 Plato’s Republic outlines justice and the philosopher-king model.
10. He is known as the major theorist of bureaucracy:
(a) Burke
(b) Dahl
(c) Max Weber
(d) None of these
✅ Answer: (c) Max Weber
👉 Weber emphasized rational-legal authority and bureaucratic organization.
11. The General Will is the political concept of:
(a) Rousseau
(b) Hobbes
(c) Locke
(d) None of these
✅ Answer: (a) Rousseau
👉 Rousseau’s general will represents the collective good of the people.
12. Siyasat Nama was written by:
(a) Nizam-ul-Mulk
(b) Al-Ghazali
(c) Ibn Khaldun
(d) None of these
✅ Answer: (a) Nizam-ul-Mulk
👉 Persian treatise giving practical advice on governance.
13. Abu Nasr Muhammad, known as Al-Farabi, was born in the year:
(a) 780
(b) 850
(c) 870
(d) None of these
✅ Answer: (c) 870
👉 Al-Farabi (870–950 CE), a great Muslim philosopher, often called “Second Teacher” after Aristotle.
14. Karl Marx had everlasting friendship with the son of a textile manufacturer of Barmen, who influenced his life. His name was:
(a) Friedrich Engels
(b) Hegel
(c) Herbert Spencer
(d) None of these
✅ Answer: (a) Friedrich Engels
👉 Engels co-authored The Communist Manifesto with Marx and supported him financially.
15. Who is considered the father of International Law?
(a) Jeremy Bentham
(b) Pufendorf
(c) Hugo Grotius
(d) Oppenheim
✅ Answer: (c) Hugo Grotius
👉 Grotius’s De Jure Belli ac Pacis (1625) laid foundations of international law.
16. When was the United Nations set up?
(a) 24 April 1945
(b) 24 October 1945
(c) 24 April 1950
(d) 24 October 1950
✅ Answer: (b) 24 October 1945
👉 UN was officially established on this date, now celebrated as UN Day.
17. Who signed the United Nations Declaration?
(a) Roosevelt (USA) & Churchill (UK)
(b) Maxim Litvinov (USSR)
(c) T.V. Soong (China)
(d) All of the above
✅ Answer: (d) All of the above
👉 Leaders of USA, UK, USSR, and China were the main signatories.
18. A History of Political Theory was written by:
(a) S.T. Jones
(b) G.H. Sabine
(c) Gettle
(d) None of these
✅ Answer: (b) G.H. Sabine
👉 Sabine’s book is a standard reference for political theory students.
19. What is the total number of states of USA?
(a) 48
(b) 52
(c) 50
(d) None of these
✅ Answer: (c) 50
👉 USA has 50 states (last two admitted: Alaska & Hawaii in 1959).
20. “Law is the command of a determinate sovereign” — Who said this?
(a) John Austin
(b) Laski
(c) Bentham
(d) None of these
✅ Answer: (a) John Austin
👉 Same as Q3 — shows repetition in 2020 paper.
CSS 2025 Political Science Paper 1 MCQs
CSS 2024 Political Science Paper 1 MCQs
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CSS Special 2023 Political Science Paper 1 MCQs
CSS 2022 Political Science Paper 1 MCQs
CSS 2021 Political Science Paper 1 MCQs
Conclusion
The 2020 Political Science Paper 1 MCQs tested legal positivism, Islamic scholarship, Greek political thought, and international law. With thinkers from Plato to Austin, Weber to Iqbal, the paper highlighted both classical roots and modern state structures.