GS I Sample Questions

                                                                       Comparison Table

Trademark Advance Test Series 2018 Qs	UPSC Mains 2018 Qs
“Satyagraha as a methodology was an abject failure in providing political emancipation to India, though it was a great spiritual booster” Do you agree?	Throw light on the significance of the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi in the present times.
Caste movements have been an integral part of India’s post-colonial society. Why?	“Caste system is assuming new identities and associational forms. Hence, caste system cannot be eradicated in India.” Comment.
“The debate on secularism in India began by pointing to the difference of the Indian variation to its Western counterpart, either by pointing to an idea of a ‘principled distance’ that the state maintained, depending on the context or by pointing towards an alternative imagination of samadharma samabhava, where all religions are treated as equal.” Critically discuss	How the Indian concept of secularism different from the western model of secularism? Discuss.
There seems to be an uncanny similarity between the colonial histories of Maldives and Mauritius. Discuss.	Why indentured labour was taken by the British from India to their colonies? have they been able to preserve their cultural identity over there?
The Supreme Court blasted the Centre, Uttar Pradesh government and the Archaeological Survey of India for failing to preserve the Taj Mahal. Critically discuss on the matter. [GS 3 Sample Qs]     &      Ancient Indian folk painting and art styles have been passed down from generation to generation, and are still practiced in different parts of the country. Elucidate.	Safeguarding the Indian art heritage is the need of the moment. Comment
Earthquakes occur in well‐defined belts that correspond to active plate tectonic zones. Discuss with illustrations. [ATS 2017]	Define mantle plume and explain its role in plate tectonics.
What are sustainable fishing practices? What is overfishing? Can it occur in freshwater ecosystems? [ATS 2017]	Defining blue revolution, explain the problems and strategies for pisciculture development in India.
Is poverty still a pressing problem for India? [ATS 2018 GS 2 Sample Qs]	Despite implementation of various programmes for eradication of poverty by the government in India, poverty is still existing’. Explain by giving reasons.

See Qs 1,3,6,8,9,10,13, 15 of UPSC Mains &

Look at our ATS Qs in RED below. The parity is self explanatory. 

Mauritius & Maldives = indentured labourers from India !

Mains – 2018: General Studies Paper – 1

UPSC Civil Services Mains Exam – 2018

1. Safeguarding the Indian art heritage is the need of the moment. Comment (10)
2. Assess the importance of the accounts of the Chinese and Arab travellers in the reconstruction of the history of India. (10)
3. Throw light on the significance of the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi in the present times. (10)
4. Why is Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) needed? How does it help in navigation? (10 )
5. Why is India taking keen interest in the Arctic region? (10)
6. Define mantle plume and explain its role in plate tectonics. (10)
7. What are the consequences of spreading of ‘Dead Zones’ on marine ecosystem? (10)
8. “Caste system is assuming new identities and associational forms. Hence, caste system cannot be eradicated in India.” Comment. (10)
9. ‘Despite implementation of various programmes for eradication of poverty by the government in India, poverty is still existing’. Explain by giving reasons. (10)
10. How the Indian concept of secularism different from the western model of secularism? Discuss. (10)
11. The Bhakti movement received a remarkable re-orientation with the advent of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Discuss. (15)
12. Discuss whether formation of new states in recent times is beneficial or not for the economy of India. (15)
13. Why indentured labour was taken by the British from India to their colonies? have they been able to preserve their cultural identity over there? (15)
14. “The ideal solution of depleting ground water resources in India is water harvesting system.” How can it be made effective in urban areas? (15)
15. Defining blue revolution, explain the problems and strategies for pisciculture development in India. (15)
16. What is the significance of Industrial Corridors in India? Identifying industrial corridors, explain their main characteristics. (15)
17. Mention core strategies for the transformation of aspirational districts in India and explain the nature of convergence, collaboration and competition for its success. (15)
18. ‘Women’s movement in India has not addressed the issues of women of lower social strata.’ Substantiate your view. (15)
19. ‘Globalisation is generally said to promote cultural homogenisation but due to this cultural specificities appear to be strengthened in the Indian society.’ Elucidate.
20. ‘Communalism arises either due to power struggle or relative deprivation.’ Argue by giving suitable illustrations. (15)

This is the second in the series. These 60 questions of our Advance Test Series [ATS] 2018 pertain to GS I

                       General Studies Paper I [Part A]

                     Indian History & World History

                            

Time Allowed: 180 mins                                        Max Marks: 250

There are twenty questions. All Questions are compulsory.

Q1 to Q10 carry 15 marks each. Answer the questions in about 250 words each.

Q11 to Q20 carry 10 marks each. Answer the questions in about 150-200 words each.

Content of the answer is more important than its length.

Use A-4 size sheets for your answers. Keep sufficient margins on at least three sides of the answer sheets for comments, if any. Any blank page / portion of the page should be clearly struck off.

1.       How could Bhagat Singh’s contribution to national movement be compared with that of Mahatma Gandhi’s?

2.       “The weak and ineffectual Mughal emperors opened up the sub-continent to the British and the French.” Critically opine.

3.       “Satyagraha as a methodology was an abject failure in providing political emancipation to India, though it was a great spiritual booster” Do you agree?

4.       Despite INA trials stirring emotions and sentiments throughout the country, inspite of RIN mutiny  charging up the political atmosphere, communal holocaust held sway over the sub-continent. How was that possible?

5.       Can we say that the British famine policy was better than that of the Mughals?

6.       Is it fair enough to comment that women had to fight both within as well as without, both in the family, then in the society so as to participate in the national movement? Cite examples.

7.       “Few names like Kattaboman, Rani Gaidinliu, Surendra Sai among others get submerged under the names of the stalwarts and big and lofty historiography.” Discuss.

8.       “It’s blasphemy to term 1857 uprising as a mere mutiny”  Analyse and comment.

9.       The ideology of Socialism and Communism could not push the cause of peasant movements in the sub-continent till 1946-7. Critically examine.

10.    Is there a connection between Adivasis and insurgency in modern India [1707-2017]? Discuss with examples.

11.    Do you think India managed its foreign policy well, post-independence?

12.    “Post-1947, India has shown the world that it is an ideal country” Opine.

13.    “For all practical purposes the Cold War ended at the two nuclear summits at Rekjavik [1986] and Washington [1987]”. Critically examine.

14.    “There is a dark episode of post second world war Cambodia which has continued to haunt it as well as entire humanity.” Discuss.

15.    Assess the impact of the American Revolution on historical progress.

16.    “Even today, some people celebrate Marxism – an antediluvian tool of socio-political emancipation”. Comment.

17.     “The concept of a nation-state was primarily responsible for the two world wars” Critically assess.

18.    “Post colonial era, what India could, China couldn’t” Cite instances.

19.    “India’s ventures in Sri Lanka and Maldives in the 1980s was reflective of its power status in South Asia.” Deliberate.

20.    Caste movements have been an integral part of India’s post-colonial society. Why?

                       General Studies Paper I [Part B]

                     Geography + Culture + Social Issues

                                 

Time Allowed: 180 mins                                        Max Marks: 250

There are twenty questions. All Questions are compulsory.

All questions carry equal marks.

Answer questions in about 200 words each. Content of the answer is more important than its length.

Use A-4 size sheets for your answers. Keep sufficient margins on at least three sides of the answer sheets for comments, if any. Any blank page / portion of the page should be clearly struck off.

1.       Supreme Court has passed a directive to police and magistrates that there would be no automatic arrests or coercive actions arising out of complaints lodged u/s 498A, IPC.  Discuss the pros and cons of this judgment in the backdrop of the social milieu of India.

2.       Witch hunting of tribal women is still not a matter of the past. Examine this statement.

3.       Improving gender balance is an important first step for India‘s development and its achievement of greater economic growth and gender equality. Critically discuss.

4.       There have been lot of debates and discussions on how victims of rape undergo trauma and psychological torture. In this context, do you think that the Indian society has become enlightened post-Nirbhaya?

5.       “The debate on secularism in India began by pointing to the difference of the Indian variation to its Western counterpart, either by pointing to an idea of a ‘principled distance’ that the state maintained, depending on the context or by pointing towards an alternative imagination of samadharma samabhava, where all religions are treated as equal.” Critically discuss.

6.       Can we say that the safety of our children is not guaranteed at schools, even in the so-called elite schools? Discuss the issue with recent instances.

7.       Opine on the sub-categorisation in reservation of the Other Backward Classes. Would it lead to greater empowerment?

8.       Who is a multidimensionally poor child as per a recent survey by Oxford? Discuss the recommendations of Subramaniam committee (2015) on education? Is Indian society empathetic enough to persons with disabilities? [2.5 + 5 + 5 = 12.5]

9.       Domestic helps have remained the most neglected lot in India. Highliht the problems this section of the labour force faces. Suggest remedial actions.

10.    According to the not-for-profit organization, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), between 1992 and 2017, 28 journalists were murdered in a premeditated or spontaneous act in direct relation to their work in India. Examine.

11.    “We know it for a fact that stone masonry and stone carving were imported in Ashoka's times from Persia......However, wood was still the dominant material and in architectural remains of Ashokan times...” Discuss.

12.    Provide a very brief sketch of various schools of miniature painting of Medieval India.

13.    “The basic characteristics and problems of contemporary Indian sculpture are very similar to those of contemporary painting. If anything, it is even more alienated from the great Indian tradition, though and even more strongly hinged to the modern, eclectic, international concept”. Do you agree?

14.    Distinguish, with the help of schematic diagrams, among the temple architecture of Bengal, Odisha and Central India.

15.    Over the past few years, rise in the global temperature has set new records and that is leading to increase in the number of extreme weather events. India may also witness an increase in the severity and frequency of the dust storms and thunderstorms similar to what the northern Indian states experienced recently. Critically analyse.

16.    With schematic diagrams, illustrate the typical sub-marine relief features. What are the factors which affect salinity of ocean water?  [8.5 + 4 = 12.5]

17.    India's top 12 major ports reported a 19.32 per cent surge in imports of thermal coal to 28.28 million tonnes during April-June this year. Paint a correlation between export/import with port facility in India

18.    ‘Deep Impact’ as a NASA space probe was a successful one. Discuss.

19.    In the ‘Middle East’, politics and geography are entwined with each other. Examine by citing instances.

20.   “Most of the cultivated area in India is under food crops, while a lower percentage of cultivated area is under commercial crops. This pattern is cause of backward agriculture”. Comment.

General Studies Paper I [History, Geography, Culture & Social Issues]                                     

Time Allowed: 180 mins                                                                                                                    Max Marks: 250

Instructions

1.        There are 20 questions printed in ENGLISH.

2.        All questions are compulsory.

3.        Question nos. 1-10 are of 10 marks each & question nos. 11-20 are of 15 marks each.

4.        Questions with 10 marks are to be answered in 150 words & questions with 15 marks are to be answered in 250 words

5.        Any page or portion of the page left blank in the Question-cum-Answer Booklet must be clearly struck off.

1.       Ancient Indian folk painting and art styles have been 

passed down from generation to generation, and are still 

practiced in different parts of the country. Elucidate.

2.       Though India in the 18^th and 19^th centuries was beset with political and military turmoil, the cultural accomplishments were noteworthy. Do you agree? 

3.       Explain how you can infer that there was considerable popular participation in the uprising of 1857?

4.       There seems to be an uncanny similarity between the colonial histories of Maldives and Mauritius. Discuss.

5.       What has the Cluster mission of ESA taught us thus far?

6.       How is geography related to politics and economics? Discuss, citing instances.

7.       What is the export market for Indian mangoes? Suggest a strategy to bolster the exports.

8.       Post a comparison of the atmospheres of Earth, Venus and Mars.

9.       Can we say that the Indian society is a contradiction of sorts? Critically discuss.

10.    Can we say that tribal societies in India are far more egalitarian than non-tribal societies? Explain.

11.    Is There a Difference Between Patriotism and Nationalism? Elaborate.

12.    Of late, instances of powerful men abusing their privileged position to exploit females associated with them have come up in the media. What should be the role of women’s organsiations in this matter? Discuss.

13.    Placing Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhash Bose and M K Gandhi on three vertices of a triangle, attempt to frame the personal as well as ideological equations amongst them.

14.    Atlantic Ocean also has its own distinct or unique characteristics that differentiate it from the rest of the oceans. What are those? Expand.

15.    What are the main physical features and natural resources of Central Asia? Can we say that the destruction of the Aral Sea has been one of the world’s worst environmental disasters?
 

16.    In March 2018, the Supreme Court (SC) while ruling on Subhash Kashinath Mahajan v State of Maharashtra, suggested that the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act (1989) is often misused by the Dalit community. In this backdrop, post your opinion regarding the current societal behavior in India with respect to the Dalits.

17.    Explain how the growing urban population creates deficiencies on the limited urban infrastructure. Is the condition more precarious for the new migrants who are poor and belong to socially marginalised groups?

18.    Tourism in north-east India has far greater potential to accumulate revenue than has been done till date. How?

19.    Can we say that reduction in regional disparities has been one of the priority goals of national planning in India? Explain how Indian island territories are vulnerable to the rise of sea level?

20.    Point out, according to your perception, three most pressing socio-economic problems that post-independent India faced. What have been the lessons learnt while negotiating them?

ATS 2017

1.       What are sustainable fishing practices? What is overfishing? Can it occur in freshwater ecosystems?

2.  Earthquakes occur in well‐defined belts that correspond to active plate tectonic zones. Discuss with illustrations.