Thinker
Paul Brass
Paul Brass is central to 10 previous-year questions, spanning 2010 to 2022 across Paper I and Paper II. Everything below is drawn from the official papers — the questions themselves, the concepts they test, and where they sit in the syllabus.
10Questions
2010–22Years tested
I & IIPaper
4Syllabus topics
Concepts asked alongside Paul Brass
What the examiner actually wants you to know when this name appears.
relative deprivation 5ethnicity 4identity politics 4sons of the soil 3ethnic mobilisation 2regionalism 2sub-nationalism 2uneven development 2communal polarisationdecentralizationdevelopmentdominant casteecho chamberselectoral mobilisationethnic and cultural assertionethnic identityethnocentrismethnonationalism
Where Paul Brass appears in the syllabus
Every question on Paul Brass
Each links to a full breakdown — how to approach it, a model answer, and the examiner’s perspective.
2021
- Discuss the role of social media in communal polarisation. Suggest ways to combat it.
- Does regionalism essentially lead to decentralization of power? Substantiate your answer with relevant examples.
- Rising 'ethnocentricism' is leading to conflict in our society. Assess this statement with appropriate reasons.
2017
Browse all thinkers by exam frequency, or see the full trend analysis.