GS 1 : Question Bank for UPSC Mains 2017

60 Questions

1.       Citing instances, discuss the contribution of overseas political activities, to the cause of independence.

2.       Assess the university education system during the British period of India.

3.       Map the Indian national movement with foci of non-Congress agitations within the geography of the sub-continent.

4.       Account for the decline of urban handicraft under the British rule.

5.       “The events of 1857 were expected. They were neither unforeseen nor unpremeditated. The character of British rule made such events inevitable.” Critically analyse.

6.       “When the history of India's fight for Independence comes to be written, the sacrifice made by the women of India will occupy the foremost place.” Cite illustrations & justify the statement.

7.       Nehru was a great admirer of Gandhi, no doubt – yet at times his critic but on crucial occasions became his ‘political son’. Do you agree with this assessment?

8.       Somehow, the contributions of Lala Lajpat Rai, V D Savarkar & Dr Shyamaprasad Mookerjea to India’s freedom struggle have been suppressed in historical narrative – by terming them as Right-wingers. Tender your opinion.

9.       Some opine that without the binding energy of Allan Octavian Hume, Congress could not have been founded. Is it true?

10.    Despite the encouragement to Oriental education by the General Committee of Public Instruction, the public opinion was rapidly growing in favour of English education in the early 19^th century. What were the factors responsible for it? Briefly discuss the ORIENTALIST & ANGLICIST dichotomy.

11.    During the 1980s, Punjab was engulfed by a separatist movement which was transformed into a campaign of terror and which has been aptly described by some as a low-intensity war and a dangerous crisis for the Indian nation. Discuss.

12.    “By and large the ceiling laws in most states had certain major shortcomings.” Critically examine.

13.    “The danger of authoritarianism did not come from Jayaprakash Narayan who was not planning or giving direction to an authoritarian coup d’état. But there were, as pointed out above, others around him who were so inclined and who were increasingly coming to control the movement and who could capitalize on his ideological woolliness and basically weak personality”. [Bipan Chandra]. Critically evaluate the statement.

14.    How does Bolshevism differ from Marxism? Does Maoism put in any extra dimension?    

15.    “The Third World was not an outcome of Cold War, but a result of economic hegemony”. Do you agree?

16.    To what extent were Marshall Plan & Truman Doctrine responsible for the outbreak of Cold War?

17.    Could World War II have been avoided? How?

18.    How did the two World Wars affect Industrial and Political climate in India? Discuss

19.    Do you think that USA is still the superpower in current scenario? Discuss.

20.    Discuss the social impact of industrial revolution in England. 

21. In a secular country like India, government involvement in religious fares, processions and visits like Amarnath Yatra, Haj pilgrimage and others is not only non-constitutional, but spillage of public exchequer. Do you agree with this view?

22.       The Kerala government is planning “stray dog zoos” to keep them off the streets in the State. In view of this innovative proposal, discuss the problem of stray dogs in Indian cities and offer some ingenious solutions.

23.       “As the sheep is to Christianity, the cow is to Hinduism. Lord Krishna was a cowherd, and the bull is depicted as the vehicle of Lord Shiva. Today the cow has almost become a symbol of Hinduism”. Critically examine from a historical perspective.

24.       “Imposing Hindi to enhance unity of the country is perhaps a simple way of putting things.” Critically discuss.

25.       “Triple Talaq is a fight between men of the Muslim community, who are more powerful and educated, and the women, who are frequently uneducated and aren't as powerful.” Tender your opinion.

26.       UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) included YOGA in its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016. In this light, discuss the potential contribution of Yoga in the global arena.

27.       Jallikattu is an ancient sport. Even Sangam literature (2nd BCE – 2nd CE), has references to it. Discuss the pros and cons of allowing such traditional sports in India.

28.       Elaborate on Vïshistadvaita of Sri Ramanuja. How does it differ from the concept of Advaita?

29.       Guru Gobind Singh’s revolt against the Mughals brought about the transformation of the pacifist Sikh to the militant Khalsa and provided a new dimension to Sikhism which it has carried since. Explain.

30.   “Sufism by nature rejects extremism. Salafist ideology, meanwhile, often bases its religiosity on extremism. Outcome of the Sufi-Salafi conflict will determine the future of Islam.” Critically analyse.

31.   With the changing landscape of a liberal and globalised Indian society, with fragmented families surfacing frequently than ever before, senior citizens are a burdensome and hence neglected lot. What has the government done to ameliorate their condition?

32.   The Union cabinet has approved the introduction of a bill that seeks to ban commercial surrogacy. Elaborate the legislative position on surrogacy in India. Further, discuss the pros and cons of the stated bill.

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

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

35.   What are local winds? Highlight the Chinook Winds as an instance. Explain formation of a Jet Stream.

36.   In the Indian context, discuss the merits and demerits of canal & tube-well irrigation.

37.   Posit an account of the role of physical, economic & social factors in the evolution of rural settlement in Rajasthan.

38.   Examine the trends of urbanisation in India in the 21^st century.

39.   Analyse the trend of economy & society of the Eskimos & Bushman tribe in the world.

40. “Among all the disasters that occur in India, floods are the most commonly occurring natural disasters due to the irregularities of the Indian monsoon. About 75% of the annual rainfall in India is concentrated in 3-4 months of the monsoon season. As a result there is very heavy discharge from rivers during the period causing widespread floods.” In light of this statement, discuss the ways and means of controlling floods in India.

41.     Assess the contribuiton of Raja Man Singh Tomar, in music.

42.     “The education system during the Mughal period was essentially archaic.” What is youir opinion?

43.     After 160 years of the Great Mutiny, if a British historian now looks back, will s/he discover anything fresh in the narrative?

44.     “Why blame only Jinnah for Partition? Why not the Muslim elite, Hindu divisive forces and the Congress equally share the blame?” Critically discuss.

45.     Gandhi had served the British in the Boer War. He gathered support for them during the First World War by enlisting volunteers as soldiers. He was initially against taking on the British during the Second World War. How do you explain these apparent enigmatic behavior of Gandhi?

46.     Has Communism really ‘ended’ after 1989-91, with the collapse of erstwhile Soviet Union? Why are far-right groups coming up in contemporary Europe?

47.     Why do you think the world has been able to avoid a ‘Third World War’, till date? Do you find any prospects of it in the near future?
 

48.     The draft National Policy for Women, 2017 approved by the group of ministers would ensure food, shelter, health and free education for women and children of poor families. Pen your thoughts on it.

49.     Write a brief note on ‘Child Abuse & POCSO Act’.

50.   Caste based inequalities is a reality of Indian society. Over the past few years, caste has been one of the centerpieces of many issues plaguing Indian society. Caste based agitations were being seen in one state after the other in the recent past. Assess.

51.   Critically examine the provisions of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017.

52.   How is India facing the problem of migration? Bring out the various dimensions of the issue.

53.   What makes religious charlatans so successful in India? What can the government do in this regard?

54.   “Climate change will make monsoons unpredictable; as a result, rain-fed wheat cultivation in South Asia will suffer in a big way and the total cereal production will go down”. Is this too much of a prophecy?

55.   “The world's deadliest earthquake is thought to have been the huge 1556 disaster that struck northern Shaanxi province, more than 8,30,000 people. Earthquakes have    plagued China throughout its history.” 

   Examine and conclude.

56.   “Greater public investment in the repair and reconstruction

 of infrastructure is the need of

 the hour for India”. Opine. 

 

57.   Provide a pen-picture of the distribution of minerals in India. Why is India deficient in Oil?

58.   A large wildfire had been burning in Greenland for at least two weeks. It was burning about 40 miles from the Greenland ice sheet. How can the two co-exist? Suggest possibilities.

59.   “Africa is important and the second largest continent in area. It is three times bigger in the size of United States.” Bring out the territorial reach and the physical features of Africa.

60.  Understanding and predicting monsoon variability is perhaps the most challenging problem in atmospheric science today. In that context, bring out the impacts on India’s agriculture and economy.