Mains Practice Questions

Essay Topics:

1. Men have failed; let women take over.

2. Nobody needs to wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.

Case Study

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 causalities. There was major damage to infrastructure like roads, bridges and power generating units. This led to more than a lakh pilgrims, tourists and other locals trapped across different routes and locations. The people trapped in your area of responsibility includes senior citizens, patients in hospitals, women and children, hikers, tourists, ruling party’s regional president 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.

Q.  What is conscience? Discuss Butler’s view on conscience. (150 words) 

Q. What are the ethical values enshrined in the Indian constitution? (250 words)

Q. What are suicide drones? How are they changing traditional warfare? (150 words)

Q. What are organic fertilizers? How can they benefit Indian agriculture? (250 words)

Q Discuss the significance of Lok Adalat as an effective dispute resolution mechanism? (150 words)

Q How India can harness the potential of Science and Tech-driven Diplomacy? (150 words)

Essay Topics

1. You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.

2. The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it.

Q. Sanjit started a business from scratch and ended up as substantial owner of a midsized engineering company. The position of technical director in the company fell vacant when its incumbent resigned to take up another assignment. To the surprise of the board, Sanjit proposed that his young son Subhash should be made the technical director. One member openly expressed his opposition to the proposal and doubted Subhash’s credentials. Sanjit replied that his son has studied engineering in Remote Westbrook Technical University. In reply to the member’s question, he added that Remote Westbrook Technical University is an accredited University in USA. Subash, he added, also took training in some workshops near Detroit. When there was further opposition from other members as well, he pleaded that his health was poor and that he would like someone from his family to take reins if he became too ill, and would like to see his son to be elected as a technical director on the basis of company’s share held by him.

Assume that you have been the Secretary of the company for many years and have the ears of Sanjit. What would be your advice to him?

Q. Discuss Indian saints who though untouched by western ideas have shown a progressive modern outlook. (150 words)

Q. What do you understand by the following quote:

“Knowledge is virtue”. (250 words)

Q. Digital Banking units (DBU) will ensure fintech innovations reach the grassroots of India in a consumer-friendly manner. Discuss (150 words).

Q. “The National Logistics policy (2022) is an endeavor to improve the competitiveness of Indian goods and increase employment opportunities”. Discuss (250 words)

Q. Discuss the role of Rajya Sabha in strengthening the fundamentals of our parliamentary democracy. (150 words)

Q. India needs a robust policy framework to unleash the potential of its online gaming sector. Elucidate. (250 words).

Q. “Stubble burning destroys fodder, pollutes the air, causes respiratory diseases and worsens greenhouse”. In light of this statement discuss issues associated with Stubble Buring in India and suggest a way forward. (250 Words)

Q. The ideal solution of depleting ground water resources in India is water harvesting system. How can it be made effective in urban areas? (250 Words)

Essay Topics

1. India and China- the Epicenter's of Asian geopolitics.

2. He who struggles is better than he who never attempts.

Case Study

Ranbir is the Chief executive officer of a company. The Company has been growing and has recruited quite a few specialists recently. The functional heads in the company have to meet their staff in an open meeting every two months. Ranbir detested these meetings. It was open to everyone in the office. The staff came up with a long list of trivial and tiresome complaints and grievances. They repeated the same things and spoke at length. Even when the staff knew of the constraints, they went on with their complaints. They wanted more space for lounge, for bathrooms and crèche. Ranbir pointed to lack of space, and yet the staff continued to complain. Ranbir cultivated a habit of sitting through the meeting with a cheerful face, but with his mind switched off from the proceedings. The meeting became a tiresome ritual he had to get through.

Due these issues many employees had left the company and its further hampering the Business of the company.

Q. In Ranbir’s situation what action would you have taken and why?

Q. What is meant by Environmental ethics? Illustrate with examples. (150 words)

Q. What do you understand by Gandhian ethics. Discuss the role of Gandhian ethics in conflict resolution. (250 words)

Q. Skill acquisition for the youth of India is a prerequisite if it wants to tap into the demographic potential. In this context discuss the various initiatives taken for Skill Development. (250 Words)

Q. Make in India Scheme was launched with the intent of making India self-reliant in manufacturing, but it has achieved no significant feet. Critically analyse. (150 Words)

Q. What are the implications of Unregulated OTT platforms in India? Suggest some recent policy measures introduced by the government. (250 words)

Q. Poverty and unemployment are the major barriers to India’s Development. Discuss. (250 words)

Q. Turkish renaissance guided by Kemal Pasha revolutionized the Turkish life a many levels. Amplify. (250 words)

Q. Explaining the problems faced by the sugar industry in India, account for the measures taken by the government to support it. (250 words)

Essay Topics

1. What we are suffering doesn't exist.

2. The fulfilment of a ‘new woman’ in India is a myth.

Case Study

Ms. Sunanda Vashisht, IAS, comes from a family with strong moral and religious inclinations. She is the DM of a Hindu majority district with substantial Muslim population. There is only one good town hall in the district headquarters controlled by the estate department under the DM. Every year, both Hindus and Muslims used to celebrate their prominent festivals like Eid, Diwali or Ganesh Puja, in this hall. This year Eid and a well-known Hindu festival coincides. And the groups of both communities protesting for allotting the hall to celebrate their religious festival.

(a) Mention the ethical and situational challenges that are faced by the DM.

(b) Also mention your course of action to resolve the issue so that both communities can celebrate their festivals peacefully.