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 !
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 &
Mains – 2018: General Studies Paper – 1
UPSC Civil Services Mains Exam – 2018
- Safeguarding the Indian art heritage is the need of the moment. Comment (10)
- Assess the importance of the accounts of the Chinese and Arab travellers in the reconstruction of the history of India. (10)
- Throw light on the significance of the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi in the present times. (10)
- Why is Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) needed? How does it help in navigation? (10 )
- Why is India taking keen interest in the Arctic region? (10)
- Define mantle plume and explain its role in plate tectonics. (10)
- What are the consequences of spreading of ‘Dead Zones’ on marine ecosystem? (10)
- “Caste system is assuming new identities and associational forms. Hence, caste system cannot be eradicated in India.” Comment. (10)
- ‘Despite implementation of various programmes for eradication of poverty by the government in India, poverty is still existing’. Explain by giving reasons. (10)
- How the Indian concept of secularism different from the western model of secularism? Discuss. (10)
- The Bhakti movement received a remarkable re-orientation with the advent of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Discuss. (15)
- Discuss whether formation of new states in recent times is beneficial or not for the economy of India. (15)
- 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)
- “The ideal solution of depleting ground water resources in India is water harvesting system.” How can it be made effective in urban areas? (15)
- Defining blue revolution, explain the problems and strategies for pisciculture development in India. (15)
- What is the significance of Industrial Corridors in India? Identifying industrial corridors, explain their main characteristics. (15)
- Mention core strategies for the transformation of aspirational districts in India and explain the nature of convergence, collaboration and competition for its success. (15)
- ‘Women’s movement in India has not addressed the issues of women of lower social strata.’ Substantiate your view. (15)
- ‘Globalisation is generally said to promote cultural homogenisation but due to this cultural specificities appear to be strengthened in the Indian society.’ Elucidate.
- ‘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.
passed down from generation to generation, and are still
practiced in different parts of the country. Elucidate.
2. Though
India in the 18th and 19th 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.
