Mains Practice Questions

Essay Topics

1. "Transparency in public health is critical to deal with epidemics".
2. “Don’t aim to break the glass ceiling; aim to shatter it.”

Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. It was first discovered in the Wuhan province of China and by February 2020, it has affected more than 70,000 people and caused more than 1700 deaths around the world. The World Health Organization has declared it a “global health emergency”.

It has come to the notice that, while the first case of Coronavirus was reported on 8 December 2019, the Wuhan Health Authorities took more than 3 weeks to issue a notice. Even when Doctor Li Wenliang, who warned of the Virus was forced to sign a police statement for 'illegal behaviour'. The secret and authoritarian regime of China, lead to the proliferation of a deadly virus which constitutes now a global emergency.

a. Identify the ethical issues involved in the case.
b. What should be the role of the World Health Organization and the United Nations to prevent the spread of such deadly diseases.
c. How can conflict between the sovereignty of a nation and global governance be resolved?

Q. What are the distinctive features of environmental ethics? Why has environmental ethics become one of the major concerns in the contemporary world? (250 words)

Q. Only by freedom and conflict of ideas can truth in the long run, be found. Examine the statement with suitable examples in the context of contemporary media ethics. (250 words)

Q. Despite having several measures to reduce the vulnerability of farmers in India, the farm sector and farmers continue to suffer losses. Suggest some measures that can be taken to improve their conditions. (250 words)

Q. Pesticide management in India requires broad-based reforms in order to ensure sustainable agricultural practices. Discuss. (250 words)

Q. “Real duties are the result of the fulfilment of rights”. Critically analyse in the context of the Constitutional provisions related to the rights and duties. (250 words)

Q. “Fraternity remains the least understood, least discussed, and the least practised of the four pillars of constitutional morality spelt out in the preamble of India’s Constitution and from it Constitution also derives the unity of the nation.” Explain. (250 words)

Q. The Second World War gave a great stimulus to nationalist movements in colonies. Comment. (250 words)

Q. The Champaran Satyagraha was the first intersection of peasant unrest and the national movement. Comment. (250 words)

Essay Topic

1. Agriculture should mediate between nature and the human community.
2. What we need is a generation of peace.

End-to-end encryption (E2EE) is a secure line of communication that blocks third-party users from accessing transferred data. When the data is being transferred online, only the sender and recipient can decrypt it with a key. In that way, E2EE can help mitigate risk and protect sensitive information by blocking third parties from accessing user data when data is transferred from one source to another.  This can be seen as a concern in many cases where privacy is very important, such as persons living under repressive governments, whistle-blowing, mass surveillance, businesses whose reputation depends on its ability to protect third party data.

Facebook and WhatsApp along with other social networking sites are announcing the end to end encryption to protect the privacy of people. But the National Society for the Prevention to Cruelty to Children, the UK along with other organizations have expressed significant concerns over this. According to these organizations, E2EE will reduce child safety online as it will prevent the monitoring of content that is not safe for children and might lead to child grooming and the proliferation of pornographic materials. 

1. Identify the ethical issues involved in the case.
2. Suggest measures to resolve them. (250 words)

Q. What is Ethics? Explain its significance in society. (250 words)

Q. Like religion and art, morality also is an institution of life for anyone to adopt in his life. Explain. (250 words)

Q. India’s aspiration to become a $5 trillion economy depends critically on strengthening the invisible hand of markets together with the hand of trust that can support markets. What do you understand by the ‘invisible hand’? How can it be strengthened in Indian economy? (250 words)

Q. Though there has been a significant focus on skill development in India, the employability of skilled manpower has remained a big challenge. Discuss. (250 words)

Q. Indian Constitution balances procedural norms and flexibility in adapting to changing needs of society. Discuss. (250 words)

Q. Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 strives to provide reproductive rights to women in India. Critically examine. (250 words)

The distinct architectural style of temple construction in different parts of India was a result of geographical, ethnic, racial, historic and linguistic diversities. Comment. (250 words)

The States People’s movement contributed towards the integration of princely states into the Indian Union. Discuss. (250 words)

Essay Topics

1. “Science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.”
2. There is no tool more effective than the empowerment of women for the development of a country.

Q. You are Abhishek and you went to Jodhpur to attend the wedding of your friend Neeraj. The wedding went very well and all the rituals were properly followed. At the end of the wedding, the father of the bride offered Rs 10 Lakh to Neeraj to buy a car as a dowry. Since Neeraj and his family are very progressive, they are against the practice of dowry, they denied it. They also reminded the father that under the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, it is illegal to offer a dowry. But the father insisted that being a father, he has the right to give his money to his daughter and her husband.

1. Identify the ethical dilemmas involved in the case.
2. What suggestions will you give to your friend Neeraj in this scenario? 
3. Are legislative solutions effective to solve social issues?

Q. Examine the types of value conflicts that may be present in public service. (250 words)

Q. Examine the role of emotional intelligence for an administrator. Also enumerate, with examples, the key attributes that an emotionally intelligent administrator should imbibe. (250 words)

Q. Discuss whether the frequent viral outbreaks can be termed as man-made disasters. (250 words)

Q. What do you understand by precision irrigation? Discuss the advantages of precision irrigation in India. (250 words)

Q. Explain the significance of the right to protest in a democracy. (250 words)

Q. Speakers are not apolitical entities and are embedded in party politics. Critically examine. (250 words)

Q. Examine the significance of pillars in Mauryan architecture. (150 words)

Q. What were the different types of art and crafts of Harappan civilization? Also, examine their significance. (250 words)