Mains Practice Questions

Essay Topic

1. We may brave human laws but cannot resist natural laws.

2. Need brings greed, if greed increases it spoils breed.

Case Study

You are a Civil Services aspirant who has cleared the first two stages of the exam and has recently received the interview call letter. On this momentous occasion, you decided to visit a holy shrine near your residence, in order to offer your gratitude to the divine. At the entrance of the shrine, you encounter a disturbing spectacle of exorcism. Two women are being continuously slapped, cursed and shouted upon by a domineering religious man, and their families are standing nearby as silent spectators. You are convinced that these women are suffering from psychological issues but its symptoms are being construed as the presence of evil spirit by the family members. You are deeply moved by the women’s plight and you empathize with them.

(a) What choices do you have and how will you respond in this situation?

(b) What are the ethical issues involved in the practice of exorcism? (250 Words)

Q. What are the merits and demerits of the parliamentary system of government? What were the reasons for adopting the parliamentary system in India? (250 Words)

Q. What does the following quotation mean to you?
“Genius is nothing but a greater aptitude for patience.” – Benjamin Franklin. (150 Words)

Q. ‘MGNREGA not only directly contribute to creating rural infrastructure and assets, but also indirectly help increase rural demand and employment.’ Discuss achievements and issues associated with this scheme. (250 Words)

Q. The benefits offered by virtual currencies may be debatable but the underlying technology behind them is certainly having bright prospects. Discuss. (150 words)

Q. What do you understand by ‘Post-modern agriculture’ ? Discuss its need in the present time and strategy to achieve it. (150 Words)

Q. Discuss how Citizen’s Charter ensures that the power of people remains stronger than the people in power. Also, highlight the challenges in realizing the spirit of Citizen’s Charter. (150 words)

Q. BRICS has succeeded up to a point but it now confronts multiple challenges. In this context, discuss the steps to be taken in order to maintain the sustainability of the group. (250 words)

Q. Trace the rise and growth of socio-religious reform movements with special reference to Young Bengal and Brahmo Samaj. (150 words)

Q. Bring out the constructive programmes of Mahatma Gandhi during Non-Cooperation Movement and Civil Disobedience Movement. (250 words)

Essay topics

1. So long as you do not achieve social liberty, whatever freedom is provided by the law is of no avail to you.

2. History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce.

Q. India has traditionally followed a reactive approach of disaster management. Do you think there is a need to shift our focus from the way we perceive disaster management at present? (250 words)

Q. Increasing radicalisation is a major threat to internal security of India.’ In the light of the statement discuss the measures that can be taken with regard to constitutional values. (250 Words)

Q. Explain the various types of Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms available in India. What advantages do they offer over the traditional methods of settling disputes? (250 Words)

Q. Protectionism may be beneficial in the short term, but in the long term, it hurts the economy.” Comment.

Q. Evaluate the nature of Bhakti Literature and its contribution to Indian culture. (150 words)

Q. What are the main socio-economic implications arising out of the development of IT industries in major cities of India? (250 words)

Essay Topics

1.Quick but steady wins the race.

2. The real is rational and the rational is real.

Case Study

You are posted as a District Magistrate. You come to know about a situation in the village under your jurisdiction where the population is suffering from Anaemia. An initiative was taken to provide fortified rice to villagers in order to provide nutrition to them but villagers refuse to eat them as they have the misconception of the rice being the plastic rice. On the other hand, the village is also influenced by the Leftist movement and you get to know that Naxalites are using this public perception for their own benefit, making it more difficult for the government to reach the people. An alternate initiative was taken by providing iron tablets to people but it created another misconception among villagers that these tablets lead to more weight of babies in pregnant mothers leading to delivery complications. Thus, it also ended in failure.

(a) What are the various issues involved in the above case study?

(b) How will you change the perception of the people in the backdrop of the spread of misinformation by the Naxalites?

Q. Although the Fundamental Rights of Indian Constitution and Bill of Rights of the US Constitution are similarly progressive in spirit, they have many differences too.” Comment. (150 Words)

Q. What are values? Highlight the importance of values in governance. (150 Words)

Q. The roots of the most pertinent challenges faced by Indian politics today can be traced to the lack of intra-party democracy. Comment on why Indian polity lacks intra-party democracy. (250 Words)

Q. Describe the various stages involved in undertaking Environment Impact Assessment (EIA). Also highlight the importance of Strategic Environmental Assessment (150 Words).

Q. “Cyber is often touted as the fifth dimension of warfare — in addition to land, sea, air and space. However, if cyber warfares become a norm, India will have to prepare more for bilateral conflicts that are based on cyber warfare”. Comment.

Q. The newly tri-nation partnership AUKUS is aimed at countering China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region. Is it going to supersede the existing partnerships in the region? Discuss the strength and impact of AUKUS in the present scenario. (250 words)

Q. Explain the constitutional provisions under which Legislative Councils are established. Review the working and current status of Legislative Councils with suitable illustrations. (250 words)

Q. To what extent did the role of the moderates prepare a base for the wider freedom movement? Comment. (250 words)

Q. Why is India considered as a subcontinent? Elaborate your answer. (150 words)

Essay Topic

1. What is research, but a blind date with knowledge!

2. You cannot get rid of poverty by giving people money.