GS Paper 2015 - PWOnlyIAS

GS Paper 1

Q.1 The ancient civilization in the Indian sub-continent differed from those of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Greece in that its culture and traditions have been preserved without a breakdown to the present day. Comment. (200 words, 12.5 marks)

Art & culture

Q.2 Mesolithic rock cut architecture of India not only reflects the cultural life of the times but also a fine aesthetic sense comparable to modern painting. Critically evaluate this comment. (200 words, 12.5 marks)

Art & culture

Q.3 How difficult would have been the achievement of Indian independence without Mahatma Gandhi? Discuss. (200 words, 12.5 marks)

Modern History

Q.4 Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B R Ambedkar, despite having divergent approaches and strategies, had a common goal of amelioration of the downtrodden. Elucidate. (200 words, 12.5 marks)

Modern History

Q.5 It would have been difficult for the Constituent Assembly to complete its historic task of drafting the Constitution for Independent India in just three years but its experience gained with the Government of India Act, 1935. Discuss. (200 words, 12.5 marks)

Post-India Indpendence

Q.6 Why did the industrial revolution first occur in England? Discuss the quality of life of the people there during the industrialization. How does it compare with that in India at present times? (150 words, 10 marks)

World History

Q.7 To what extent can Germany be held responsible for causing the two World Wars? Discuss critically. (150 words, 10 marks)

World History

Q.8 Describe any four cultural elements of diversity in India and rate their relative significance in building a national identity. (150 words, 10 Marks)

Indian Society

Q.9 Critically examine whether growing population is the cause of poverty OR poverty is the main cause of population increase in India. (150 words, 10 Marks)

Indian Society

Q.10 How do you explain the statistics that show that the sex ratio in Tribes in India is more favorable to women than the sex ratio among Scheduled Castes? (150 words, 10 Marks)

Indian Society

Q.11 Discuss the changes in the trends of labor migration within and outside India in the last four decades. (250 words, 15 Marks)

Indian Society

Q.12 Discuss the positive and negative effects of globalization on women in India. (250 words, 15 Marks)

Indian Society

Q.13 Debate the issue of whether and how contemporary movements of assertion of Dalit identity work towards annihilation of caste. (250 words, 15 Marks)

Indian Society

Q.14 Explain the factors responsible for the origin of ocean currents. How do they influence regional climates, fishing and navigation? [200 Words, 12.5 Marks]

Geography

Q.15 Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata are the three megacities of the country but the air pollution is a much more serious problem in Delhi as compared to the other two. Why is this so?[200 Words, 12.5 Marks]

Geography

Q.16 India is well endowed with fresh water resources. Critically examine why it still suffers from water scarcity. [200 Words, 12.5 Marks]

Geography

Q.17 The state of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are reaching the limits of ecological carrying capacity due to tourism. Critically Evaluate. [200 Words, 12.5 Marks]

Geography

Q.18 How far do you agree that the behavior of the Indian monsoon has been changing due to humanizing landscape? Discuss.[200 Words, 12.5 Marks]

Geography

Q.19 Smart cities in India cannot sustain without smart villages. Discuss this statement in the backdrop of rural urban integration. [200 Words, 12.5 Marks]

Geography

Q.20 What is the economic significance of the discovery of oil in the Arctic Sea and its possible environmental consequences?[200 Words, 12.5 Marks ]

Geography

GS Paper 2

Q.1 Discuss the possible factors that inhibit India from enacting for its citizens a uniform civil code as provided for in the Directive Principles of State Policy. (200 words, 12.5 marks)

Polity

Q.2 The concept of cooperative federalism has been increasingly emphasized in recent years. Highlight the drawbacks in the existing structure and the extent to which cooperative federalism would answer the shortcomings. (200 words, 12.5 marks)

Polity

Q.3 In absence of a well-educated and organized local level government system, ‘Panchayats’ and ‘Samitis’ have remained mainly political institutions and not effective instruments of governance. Critically discuss. (200 words, 12.5 marks)

Polity

Q.4 Khap Panchayats have been in the news for functioning as extra-constitutional authorities, often delivering pronouncements amounting to human rights violations. Discuss critically the actions taken by the legislative, executive and the judiciary to set the things right in this regard. (200 words, 12.5 marks)

governance

Q.5 Resorting to ordinances has always raised concern on violation of the spirit of separation of powers doctrine. While noting the rationales justifying the power to promulgate ordinances, analyze whether the decisions of the Supreme Court on the issue have further facilitated resorting to this power. Should the power to promulgate ordinances be repealed? (200 words, 12.5 marks)

Q.6 What are the major changes brought in the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 through the recent Ordinance promulgated by the President? How far will it improve India’s dispute resolution mechanism? Discuss. (200 words, 12.5 marks)

Polity

Q.7 Does the right to clean environment entail legal regulations on burning crackers during Diwali? Discuss in the light of Article 21 of the Indian Constitution and Judgement(s) of the Apex Court in this regard. (200 words, 12.5 marks)

Polity

Q.8 Examine critically the recent changes in the rules governing foreign funding of NGOs under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 1976. (200 words, 12.5 marks)

governance

Q.9 The Self-Help Group (SHG) Bank Linkage Programme (SBLP), which is India’s own innovation, has proved to be one of the most effective poverty alleviation and women empowerment programmes. Elucidate. (200 words, 12.5 marks)

governance

Q.10 How can the role of NGOs be strengthened in India for development works relating to protection of the environment? Discuss throwing light on the major constraints. (200 words, 12.5 marks)

Social Justice

Q.11 The quality of higher education in India requires major improvements to make it internationally competitive. Do you think that the entry of foreign educational institutions would help improve the quality of higher and technical education in the country? Discuss. (200 words, 12.5 marks)

Social Justice

Q.12 Public health system has limitations in providing universal health coverage. Do you think that the private sector could help in bridging the gap? What other viable alternatives would you suggest? (200 words, 12.5 marks)

Social Justice

Q.13 Though there have been several different estimates of poverty in India, all indicate reduction in poverty levels over time. Do you agree? Critically examine with reference to urban and rural poverty indicators. (200 words, 12.5 marks)

Social Justice

Q.14 In the light of the Satyam Scandal (2009), discuss the changes brought in corporate governance to ensure transparency, accountability. (200 words, 12.5 marks)

governance

Q.15 “If amendment bill to the Whistleblowers Act, 2011 tabled in the Parliament is passed, there may be no one left to protect.” Critically evaluate. (200 words, 12.5 marks)

Polity

Q.16 “For achieving the desired objectives, it is necessary to ensure that the regulatory institutions remain independent and autonomous.” Discuss in the light of the experiences in recent past. (200 words, 12.5 marks)

governance

Q.17 Increased interest of India in Africa has its pros and cons. Critically Examine.[200 Words, 12.5 Marks]

International Relation

Q.18 Discuss the impediments India is facing in its pursuit of a permanent seat in UNSC. [200 Words, 12.5 Marks]

International Relation

Q.19 Project “Mausam” is considered a unique foreign policy initiative of the Indian government to improve relationships with its neighbors. Does the project have a strategic dimension? Discuss. [200 word,12.5 Marks]

International Relation

Q.20 Terrorist activities and mutual distrust have clouded India – Pakistan relation. To what extent the use of soft power like sports and culture exchange could help generate goodwill between the two countries. Discuss with suitable examples. [200 Words,12.5 Marks]

International Relation

GS Paper 3

Q.1 The nature of economic growth in India in recent times is often described as jobless growth. Do you agree with this view? Give arguments in favour of your answer. (150 words, 10 marks)

Economy

Q.2 In view of the declining average size of land holdings in India which has made agriculture non- viable for a majority of farmers, should contract farming and land leasing be promoted in agriculture? Critically evaluate the pros and cons. (150 words, 10 marks)

Economy

Q.3 Livestock rearing has a big potential for providing non – farm employment and income in rural areas. Discuss suggesting suitable measures to promote this sector in India. (150 words, 10 marks)

Economy

Q.4 How can the ‘Digital India’ Programme help farmers to improve farm productivity and income? What steps has the Government taken in this regard? (150 words, 10 marks)

Economy

Q.5 In what way could replacement of price subsidy with Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) change the scenario of subsidies in India? Discuss (150 words, 10 marks)

Economy

Q.6 What are the impediments in marketing and supply chain management in developing the food processing industry in India? Can e- commerce help in overcoming these bottlenecks? (150 words, 10 marks)

Economy

Q.7 Craze for gold in Indian has led to surge in import of gold in recent years and put pressure on balance of payments and external value of rupee. In view of this, examine the merits of Gold Monetization scheme

Economy

Q.8 “Success of make in India program depends on the success of Skill India programme and radical labour reforms.” Discuss with logical arguments.

Economy

Q.9 To what factors can the recent dramatic fall in equipment costs and tariff of solar energy be attributed? What implications does the trend have for the thermal power producers and the related industry? (150 words, 10 marks)

Economy

Q.10 There is a clear acknowledgement that Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are the tools of industrial development, manufacturing and exports. Recognizing this potential, the whole instrumentality of SEZs requires augmentation. Discuss the issues plaguing the success of SEZs with respect to taxation, governing laws and administration. (150 words, 10 marks)

Economy

Q.11 What do you understand by ‘Standard Positioning Systems’ and ‘Precision Positioning Systems’ in the GPS era ? Discuss the advantages India perceives from its ambitious IRNSS programme employing just seven satellites. (200 words, 12.5 marks)

Science & technology's

Q.12 What are the areas of prohibitive labour that can be sustainably managed by robots ? Discuss the initiatives that can propel research in premier research institutes for substantive and gainful innovation. (200 words, 12.5 marks)

Science & technology's

Q.13 Discuss the advantage and security implications of cloud hosting of server vis-a-vis in-house machine-based hosting for government businesses. (200 words, 12.5 Marks)

Internal security

Q.14 India’s Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL), which has a database containing formatted information on more than 2 million medicinal formulations is proving a powerful weapon in the country’s fight against erroneous patents. Discuss the pros and cons of making this database publicly available under open-source licensing. (200 words, 12.5 marks)

Science & technology's

Q.15 Discuss the Nanami Gange and National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) programmes and causes of mixed results from the previous schemes. What quantum leaps can help preserve the river Ganga better than incremental input? [200 Words,12.5 Marks]

Environment

Q.16 The frequency of earthquakes appears to have increased in the Indian subcontinent. However, India’s preparedness for mitigating their impact has significant gaps. Discuss various aspects. [200 Words,12.5 Marks]

Disaster Managements

Q.17 Human rights activists constantly highlight the view that the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) is a draconian act leading to cases of human rights abuses by the security forces. What sections of AFSPA are opposed by the activists? Critically evaluate the requirement with reference to the view held by the Apex Court. (200 words, 12.5 Marks)

Internal security

Q.18 Religious indoctrination via digital media has resulted in Indian youth joining the ISIS. What is ISIS and its mission? How can ISIS be dangerous for the internal security of our country? (200 words, 12.5 Marks)

Internal security

Q.19 The persisting drives of the government for development of large industries in backward areas have resulted in isolating the tribal population and the farmers who face multiple displacements with Malkangiri and Naxalbari foci, discuss the corrective strategies needed to win the left-wing extremism (LWE) doctrine affected citizens back into the mainstream of social and economic growth. (200 words, 12.5 Marks)

Internal security

Q.20 Considering the threats cyberspace poses for the country, India needs a “Digital Armed Force” to prevent crimes. Critically evaluate the National Cyber Security Policy, 2013 outlining the challenges perceived in its effective implementation. (200 words, 12.5 Marks)

Internal security

GS Paper 4

Q.1 What is meant by ‘environmental ethics’? Why is it important to study? Discuss any one environmental issue from the viewpoint of environmental ethics. (150 words, 10 Marks)

Ethics (Section A)

Q.2 Differentiate between the following (i) Law and ethics (ii) Ethical management and management of ethics (iii) Discrimination and preferential treatment (iv) Personal Ethics and Professional Ethics. (10 marks) (200 Words)

Ethics (Section A)

Q.3 Question:- Given are two quotations of moral thinkers/philosophers. For each of these bring out what it means to you in the present context. “The weak can never forgive; forgiveness is the attribute of strong.” (150 words, 10 Marks)

Ethics (Section A)

Q.4 “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light” (150 words, 10 Marks)

Ethics (Section A)

Q.5 “A mere compliance with law is not enough, the public servant also has to have a well-developed sensibility to ethical issues for effective discharge of duties” Do you agree? Explain with the help of two examples where (i) an act is ethically right, but not legally and (ii) an act is legally right, but not ethically. (150 words, 10 Marks)

Ethics (Section A)

Q.6 How do the virtues of trustworthiness and fortitude get manifested in public service? Explain with examples (150 words, 10 Marks)

Ethics (Section A)

Q.7 Social values are more important than economic values. Discuss the above statement with examples in the context of inclusive growth of a nation. (150 words, 10 Marks)

Ethics (Section A)

Q.8 Some recent developments such as introduction of RTI Act, media and judicial activism, etc. are proving helpful in bringing about greater transparency and accountability in the functioning of the government. However, it is also being observed that at times the mechanisms are misused. Another negative effect is that the officers are now afraid to make prompt decisions. Analyze the situation in detail and suggest how the dichotomy can be resolved. Suggest how these negative impacts can be minimised. (150 words, 10 Marks)

Ethics (Section A)

Q.9 Two different kinds of attitudes exhibited by public servants towards their work have been identified as bureaucratic attitude and the democratic attitude. (a) Distinguish between these two terms and write their merits and demerits. (b) Is it possible to balance the two to create a better administration for the faster development of our country? (150 words, 10 Marks)

Ethics (Section A)

Q.10 Today we find that in-spite of various measures of prescribing codes of conduct, setting up vigilance cells/commissions, RTI, active media and strengthening of legal mechanisms, corrupt practices are not coming under control. (a) Evaluate the effectiveness of these measures with justifications. (b) Suggest more effective strategies to tackle this menace. (150 words, 10 Marks)

Ethics (Section A)

Q.11 At the international level, bilateral relations between most nations are governed on the policy of promoting one’s own national interest without any regard for the interest of other nations. This led to conflicts and tension between the nations. How can ethical consideration help resolve such tensions? Discuss with specific examples. (150 words, 10 Marks)

Ethics (Section A)

Q.12 Public servants are likely to confront the issues of “Conflict of Interest”. What do you understand by the term “Conflict of Interest” and how does it manifest in the decision making by public servants? If faced with the conflict-of-interest situation, how would you resolve it? Explain with the help of examples. (150 words, 10 Marks)

Ethics (Section A)

Q.13 A private company is known for its efficiency, transparency and employee welfare. The company, though owned by a private individual, has a cooperative character where employees feel a sense of ownership. The company employs nearly 700 personnel and they have voluntarily decided not to form a union.One day suddenly in the morning, about 40 men belonging to political parties gatecrashed into the factory demanding jobs in the factory. They threatened the management and employees, and also used foul language. The employees feel demoralized. It was clear that those people who crashed wanted to be on the payroll of the company as well as continue as the volunteers/members of the party. The company maintains high standards in integrity and does not extend favors to civil administration that also includes law enforcement agencies. Such incidents occur in the public sector also. (a) Assume you are the CEO of the company. What would you do to diffuse the volatile situation on the date of gate crashing with the violent mob sitting inside the company premises? (b) What can be the long term solution to the issue discussed in the case? (c) Every solution/action that you suggest will have a negative and a positive impact on you as (CEO), the employees and the performance of the employees. Analyze the consequences of each of your suggested actions.

Ethics (Section B)

Q.14 You are the Sarpanch of a Panchayat. There is a primary school run by the government in your area. Midday meals are provided to children attending the school. The headmaster has now appointed a new cook in the school to prepare the meals. However, when it is found that cooks are from Dalit community, almost half of the children belonging to higher castes are not allowed to take meals by their parents. Consequently the attendance in the schools falls sharply. This could result in the possibility of discontinuation of midday meal scheme, thereafter of teaching staff and subsequent closing down the school. (a) Discuss some possible strategies to overcome the conflict and to create the right ambiance. (b) What should be the responsibilities of different social segments and agencies to create positive social ambiance for accepting such changes?

Ethics (Section B)

Q.15 One of the scientists working in the R&D laboratory of a major pharmaceutical company discovers that one of the company’s best selling veterinary drugs has the potential to cure a currently incurable liver disease which is prevalent in tribal areas. However, developing a variant of the drug suitable for human beings entailed a lot of research and development having a huge expenditure to the extent of Rs. 50 crores. It was unlikely that the company would recover the cost as the disease was rampant only in poverty stricken areas having very little market otherwise.If you were the CEO, then (a) Identify the various actions that you could take (b) Evaluate the pros and cons of each of your actions.

Ethics (Section B)

Q.16 There is a disaster prone state having frequent landslides, forest fires, cloudbursts, flash floods and earthquakes, etc. Some of these are seasonal and often unpredictable. The magnitude of the disaster is always unanticipated. During one of the seasons a cloudburst caused devastating floods and landslides leading to high casualties. There was major damage to infrastructure like roads, bridges and power generating units. This led to more than 100000 pilgrims, tourists and other locals trapped across different routes and locations. The people trapped in your area of responsibility include senior citizens, patients in hospitals, women and children, hikers, tourists, ruling parties, regional presidents along with his family, additional chief secretary of the neighboring state and prisoners in jail. As a civil services officer of the state, what would be the order in which you would rescue these people and why? Give Justifications.

Ethics (Section B)

Q.17 You are heading a district administration in a particular department. Your senior officer calls you from the State Headquarters and tells you that a plot in Rampur village is to have a building constructed on it for a school. A visit is scheduled during which he will visit the site along with the chief engineer and the senior architect. He wants you to check out all the papers relating to it and ensure that the visit is properly arranged. You examine the file which relates to the period before you joined the department. The land was acquired for the local panchayat at a nominal cost and the papers showed that clearance certificates are available for the two of the three authorities who have to certify the site’s suitability. There is no certification by the architect available on file. You decide to visit Rampur to ensure that all is in the order as stated on file. When you visit Rampur, you find that the plot under reference is a part of Thakurgarh fort and that the walls, ramparts, etc., are running across it. The fort is well away from the main village, therefore a school here will be a serious inconvenience for the children. However, the area near the village has potential to expand into a larger residential area. The development charges on the existing plot, at the fort, will be very high and the question of heritage site has not been addressed. Moreover, the Sarpanch, at the time of acquisition of the land, was a relative of your predecessor. The whole transaction appears to have been done with some vested interest. (a) List the likely vested interest of the concerned parties. (b) Some of the options for action available to you are listed below. Discuss the merits and demerits of each of the options: (i) You can await the visit of the superior officer and let him make a decision. (ii) You can seek his advice in writing or on the phone. (iii) You can consult your predecessor/ colleagues, etc, and then decide what to do. (iv) You can find out if any alternate plot can be got in exchange and then send a comprehensive written report. Can you suggest any other option with proper justifications?

Ethics (Section B)

Q.18 You were recently posted as district development officer of a district. Shortly thereafter you found that there is considerable tension in the rural areas of your district on the issue of sending girls to schools. The elders of the village feel that many problems have come up because girls are being educated and they are stepping out of the safe environment of the household. They are of the view that the girls should be quickly married off with minimum education. The girls are also competing for jobs after education, which have traditionally remained in boys’ exclusive domain, adding to unemployment amongst male population. The younger generation feels that in the present era, girls should have equal opportunities for education and employment, and other means of livelihood. The entire locality is divided between sexes in both generations. You come to know that in Panchayat or in other local bodies or even in busy crosswords, the issue is being acrimoniously debated. One day you are informed that an unpleasant incident has taken place. Some girls were molested, when they were en route to schools. The incident led to clashes between several groups and a law and order problem has arisen. The elders after heated discussion have taken a joint decision not to allow girls to go to school and to socially boycott all such families, which do not follow their dictate. (a) What steps would you take to ensure girls’ safety without disrupting their education? (b) How would you manage and mold the patriarchal attitude of the village elders to ensure harmony in the inter- generational relations?

Ethics (Section B)

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