HISTORY & PSIR Advanced Tests - UPSC Mains Simulated

Paper I [Ancient + Medieval India] [30 OCT 2016]

Max Marks: 250 marks                                                                                   Max Time: 180 mins

Question Nos. 1 & 5 are compulsory. Answer any three questions from the rest, taking at least one question from each section. Marks are detailed against each question.

Section A

1.        Identify the following places marked on the outline map supplied to you and write short notes of about 30 words on each of them. Locational hints for each of the places marked on the map are given below in seriatim : -     [2&1/2 x 20 = 50]

(i)                    Capital of a mahajanapad [Ahichchatra]

(ii)                  Ochre Coloured pottery centre [Atranjikhera]

(iii)                 Chola King Rajendra I’s capital city [Gangaikondacholapuram]

(iv)                 Famous for Buddhist Chaiyas [Bhaja]

(v)                   Northern Black Polished Ware site [Chandraketugarh]

(vi)                 Important port [Masulipatnam]

(vii)                Ancient capital of Gandhara [Taxila]

(viii)              Two minor rock edicts of Asoka found here [Brahmagiri]

(ix)                 Known for its regional medieval architecture [Mandu]

(x)                   Present name is Kodungaloor [Muziris]

(xi)                 Famous for Shiva-Parvati Gupta temples [Nachna-Kuthar]

(xii)                Late Harappan site [Sanghol]

(xiii)              Bronze Buddha image discovered here [Sultanganj]

(xiv)               Town on southern trade route [Gyaraspur]

(xv)                Stupa & terracotta figurines discovered [Harwan]

(xvi)               Important Neolithic site [Chirand]

(xvii)             Capital of Eastern Chalukyas [Vengi]

(xviii)            Major fort town under Chandellas [Kalpi]

(xix)               Remains of Gandhara School of Art found here [Bamiyan]

(xx)                Inscription of Western Kshatrap Saka ruler found here [Girnar]

2A. Elucidate the position of Sudras and Untouchables in pre-Islamic India        [25]

2B. What was the philosophy of marriage and divorce in Ancient India?             [25]

3A. Compare the state of Trade & Commerce during Gupta period with that of the post-Mauryan period in the sub-continent.
3B. “The sixth century B.C. left a permanent impression on Indian history mainly because it witnessed an intense pre-occupation with philosophical speculation.” Comment.
3C. “The ‘meek and the good wife’ syndrome which left its impress on Indian woman echoed in the Buddhist texts with the slave-like wife being extolled as the best kind of wife.” Discuss                              [20+15 + 15 = 50]

4A. With examples, describe the phases of growth of Chola Temple Architecture.
4B. “Varna was party an ideology that reflected the increasing social differentiation of the times. It was even more an ideology that justified this differentiation from the point of view of the elite groups.” Contextualise and critically discuss.
4C :  “The NITISARA describe cattle rearing, farming and trade as the three sources of livelihood”. Discuss    [20+15 + 15 = 50]

Section B

5. Write short notes in not more than 150 words on each of the following [10x5=50]

a. Rajasthani style of Painting
b. Jaunpur as a regional hub of architecture
c. Economy during Mughal period
d. Historiography during Akbar’s regime
e.  Sultanate Nobility Vs Mughal Nobility

6A Elucidate Aurangzeb’s Rajput policy
6B. “Barani’s Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi is undoubtedly the most interesting and the most vigorous. He wrote in a simple, vivid, imaginative style shorn of ornamental verbiage, sometimes soaring high in poetic ecstasy. But doubts have been expressed on Barani’s bona fides as an authoritative historian.” Critically analyse
6C. What is Segmentary State Theory? Elaborate the same for South Indian states.                 [10+20+20=50]

7A. “In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the two most influential orders among the Sufis were the Suhrawardi, centred at Multan, and the Chishti at Delhi and other places.” Do you agree?
7B. How did the revenue collection system evolve under Akbar’s reign?
7C. Discuss how Mathematics as a subject develop during Medieval period?                                [20+15+15=50]

8A. How did the Sikhs rise as a regional power?

8B. Present a brief on the growth of Technology during Sultanate period.

8C. “Miniature painting entered a richly productive phase in the Mughal period.” Comment.      [15 +15 + 20 = 50]

Paper II [Modern India + World History]             [12 NOV 2016]

Max Marks: 250                                      Max Time: 180 mins

Question Nos. 1 & 5 are compulsory. Answer any three questions from the rest, taking at least one question from each section. Marks are detailed against each question.

Section A

1.     Critically examine the following statements in NOT more than 150 words each:   [10x5=50]

a.    “The history of the Indian renaissance in the 19th century and the European Renaissance in the 14th century offers us a pleasant contrast and also a curious scenario of creative synthesis of the best of the East and the West.”

b.    “Communist influence started growing among the Bombay textiles workers and Kharagpur Railway workshop labourers”

c.    “Colonial intervention, it bears pointing out, set in motion two contradictory processes. On the one hand, there was a secularization of caste. On the other hand, there was a ‘novel association of caste with Hindu religion”

d.    “The Revolutionary terrorist movement was largely the out-come of the same set of causes which gave rise to the Extremist wing in nationalist politics”

e.    “The 562 princely states, comprising almost two-fifths of India’s territory, had remained ‘walled off’ and relatively autonomous internally since they were under the loose supervision of British residents posted at their courts, although their external relations remained under British control”

2A. Trace the tribal movements between 1885 and 1905.

2B. “In the 18^th century, emergence of Mysore as a significant power was most spectacular” Do you concur?

2C. Evaluate the role of Pandita Rama Bai (1858-1922) in the struggle against caste system           [20+20+10=50]

3A. Bring to the surface the basic tenets of Subaltern nationalism.

3B. How was deindustrialisation a feature in India in the 19^th century?

3C. Posit a brief sketch of Orientalist governance during the Company Raj               [15+15+20=50]

4A. “The growth of tea plantations in Assam and Darjeeling accounted for the emergence of significant immigrant and indentured labour population.” Critically discuss.

4B. Present a brief account of the JP movement in the 1970s.

4C. Trace the post-independence secessionist movements in the North-East.                  [20+15+15=50]

Section B

5. Critically examine the following statements in about 150 words each:   [10x5=50]

a.    “The newly drafted constitution containing four pages was signed by fifty-five persons on 17 September 1787 and came into force on June 21, 1788”

b.    “The guillotine twist which Robespierre had given to the teachings of Jean Jacques Rousseau was repeated by Hitler and the Gestapo in their political simplification of the contradictory theories of Nietzsche”

c.    “The Latin American revolutions were deeply indebted to contemporary developments in Europe and North America, both for their inspiration, manifestoes, and slogans, and also for material assistance”

d.    “The battle of Waterloo”, remarked Napoleon at St. Helena, “will be as dangerous to the liberties of Europe as the battle of Philippi was dangerous to the liberties of Rome””

e.    “Although France, in 1870, was not a newly constructed nation like the German Empire, it was a nation sorely in need of reunification and dedication to a common set of political purposes”

6A. “Balkan Wars were precursors to the First World War” Explain
6B. “Treaty of Versailles was a dictated peace.” Do you agree?

6C. Why did the League of Nations fall to preserve peace? [15+15+20=50]

7A. How did the relations between USSR & Germany develop during 1919 and 1933?

7B. Evaluate Hitler’s foreign policy from 1933-1938

7C. “Japan’s motives for the attack on Pearl Harbour were tied up with her economic situation” Critically examine. [15+15+20=50]

8A. How did Stalin manage to reach to supreme authority?
8B. Why did the European powers give up their empires post second world war?
8C. Do you think demagogues possess masterly skill to mesmerise people so as to rise to the top of political authority? Cite instances from 20^th century world history as well as 21^st century.      [15+15+20=50]

UPSC Mains Political Science Simulated Paper I [30 OCT 2016]

Max Marks 250                                                                                                                  Max Time 180 mins

                                                                                                                                                                    

Qs 1 & 5 are compulsory and answer any three from the rest.

Section A

Q1. Prepare commentaries on the following in about 150 words each: (10 × 5 = 50)

a.       “Critical theory provides a specific interpretation of Marxist philosophy and reinterprets some of its central economic and political notions” [Ref: http://www.iep.utm.edu/frankfur/]

b.      “In the Republic, Plato suggests that ruling is a kind of science or craft and concludes that only those trained in this craft should be permitted to govern.”

c.       “Spinoza ultimately endorsed a relatively democratic and open society.”

d.      “Burke is best known as an apostle of order, tradition, and authority; indeed, as the ‘father’ of modern conservatism” [Ref: http://oll.libertyfund.org/pages/people]

e.      “Sartre's primary idea is that people, as humans, are condemned to be free"

Q2A. What is Political theory? What is the justification to study Political Theory? [Ref: IGNOU MA]

Q2B. Discuss the Marxian and Gramscian traditions of Civil Society. [Ref: IGNOU MA]

Q2C. Explain John Rawls’ Liberal-Egalitarian principles of justice.  [Ref: IGNOU MA] [15+10+25=50]

Q3A. Enumerate the views of feminist scholars with respect to the sex/gender distinction in feminist theory [Ref: IGNOU MA]

Q3B. Bring out the theoretical difference between Fundamentalism and Fascism. [Ref: IGNOU MA]

Q3C. Is Gandhism same as Pacifism? Critically examine. [Ref: IGNOU MA]

[15+20+15=50]

Q4A. Compare the notions of Justice by Plato and Aristotle  [Ref: IGNOU MA]

Q4B. What is Dialectical method? Distinguish between Marx’s and Hegel’s philosophy of history. [Ref: IGNOU MA]  

Q4C. Prepare a discourse linking Nationalism and Colonial Modernity           [Ref: IGNOU MA]  [15+20+15=50]

Section B

Q5. Comment on the following in about 150 words each: (10 × 5 = 50)

a.       Gandhi’s Concept of Social Justice

b.      Women Empowerment in India in the 21^st century

c.       Judicial Activism or Overreach?

d.      Cooperative Federalism

e.      Local Self Government’s success in India

Q6A. Discuss the various ideological positions taken during India’s freedom struggle.

Q6B. Highlight the impact of the amending procedure on the development of constitutionalism in India.

Q6C. Suggest reforms in India’s present bureaucratic structure [20+15+15=50]

Q7A. Evaluate the new avatar of planning in India.

Q7B. What is the concept of coloured legislation? Suggest methods of controlling pandemonium in the parliamentary proceedings.

Q7C. Critically discuss the issues related to inter-state water disputes in India. [15+15+20=50]

Q8A. “Religion is a more significant factor in Indian polity than caste.” Do you agree?

Q8B. Enumerate the composition & role of the National Commission for Minorities

Q8C. Chart out the changing socio- economic profile of Legislators in Union parliament since 2001. [15+15+20=50]

 Political Science Paper II

Instructions for Simulated Mains Political Science Optional Paper

·         Time Allowed : Three Hours                                                                                                   Maximum Marks : 250

·         There are EIGHT questions divided in two Sections and printed in ENGLISH.

·         Candidate has to attempt FIVE questions in all.

·         Question Nos. 1 and 5 are compulsory and out of the remaining, THREE are to be attempted choosing at least ONE question from each Section.

·         The number of marks carried by a question/part is indicated against it.

·         Word limit in questions, wherever specified, should be adhered to.

·         Attempts of questions shall be counted in chronological order. Unless struck off, attempt of a question shall be counted even if attempted partly. Any page or portion of the page left blank in the Question-cum-Answer Booklet must be clearly struck off.

SECTION-A

Q1. Answer the following questions in about 150 words each : 10 marks x 5 = 50

1.     “Of late, ultra-nationalism seems to have grown worldwide. It appears to be a reaction against globalisation and liberalisation” Critically analyse.

2.     “Terrorism is the most immediate global concern” Discuss.

3.      What is Strategic coercion?  Illustrate with respect to the foreign policy of a state.

4.     “Deterrence aims to persuade the opponent not to initiate action.” Analyse with instances.

5.     Write a note on Functionalist and Systems theory towards the study of International Relatons.

Q2. Answer the following (20+15+15 marks)

1.     “India has failed to establish its foothold in Central Asia” Do you agree?              

2.     Describe the membership & organisational structure of Council for Mutual Economic Assistance.    

3.     “Globalization is seen more as colonization than liberating force” Critically evaluate               

Q3. Answer the following (20+15+15 marks)

1.     Posit an argumentative case for United Nations Security Council reforms.

2.     Argue for India’s case of membership in Nuclear Supplier’s Group.                                 

3.     “From Brettonwoods to WTO, the journey was surely not smooth, but since therafter, there have been new challenges” Explain.

Q4. Answer following (15+15+20 marks)

1.     “The political instability post-1991, in the Central Asian Republics is due to the lack of the shield provided by erstwhile USSR.” Critically assess the statement.

2.     “Non-aligned movement has almost lost its relevance with multipolarity emerging in world order.” Opine.

3.     “European Union has suffered disasters, in the form of Brexit and Sovereign Debt Crisis.” Discuss.

SECTION-B

Q5. Answer the following questions in about 150 words each : 10 marksx5=50

1.     “What began as another Arab Spring uprising against an autocratic ruler has mushroomed into a brutal proxy war that has drawn in regional and world powers.” Discuss in the context of the Syrian crisis.

2.     Do you think India should do away with Indus Water Treaty?

3.     “Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) is a chessboard of great power politics” Analyse

4.     Present a brief on Columbia’s approach towards Communist Insurgency

5.     Elaborate on : Role of domestic factors in foreign policy making

Q6. Answer following (20+15+15 marks)

1.     “None of the Indian governments have ever explicitly spelled out their strategic intentions in a single document, although there are plenty of public statements that offer a good indication of the government’s outlook.” Discuss

2.     Evaluate the recent trend in India – USA relations. Will it have a different trajectory with a change in dispensation in the US?

3.     What are India’s nuclear capabilities? Are they sufficient enough for acting as a credible minimum deterrence?

Q7. Answer following (20+15+15 marks)

1.     “India’s immediate neighbourhood needs to be nurtured to the maximum. Soft power has to be utilised at its best.” Discuss

2.     Analyse the contours of Indo – Japan relations in the last decade.

3.      Examine India’s role in democratising Afghanisatan.

Q8. Answer following (20+15+15 marks)

1.     “SAARC has come to a dead end” Do you agree?

2.     Should India take more active stance in emboldening its relations with Latin America? Why?

3.     Are India and Israel, post-2001, strategic partners? Analyse.