Mains Practice Questions

Essay Topics

1. Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime.
2. A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.

Q. Amrita, a young IAS officer, has joined a government department. After working for a while in this department, she realizes that the position of women staff is subservient to male staff. The male staff does not want to take orders from senior women officers. Moreover, women are not taken on serious departmental projects and are discouraged from participating in such projects. Amrita through informal channels comes to know that even the Head of the Department is of the same mindset and believes that women should not be sent to this department. Discuss the course of action Amrita should take so that the work culture becomes conducive for women.

Q. Increase of probity in governance does not always result in a decrease in corruption. Do you agree? Substantiate your argument with examples. (150 Words)

Q. In case of conflict between human values and other fundamental values, the former should triumph. Do you agree? Justify your argument with an appropriate example. (150 Words)

Q. ‘Every matter of public interest cannot be a matter of public interest litigation’. Comment. (250 words)

Q. Despite having numerous advantages, the potential of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism remains underutilized in India. Analyze. (250 words)

Q. What were the prominent changes made in the administration of India after the Revolt of 1857, especially in the fields of the provincial administration, local bodies and public services? (150 words)

Q. Globalisation has changed the role of State. Critically evaluate its impact in the context of developing countries. (250 words)

Essay Topics

1. He who can listen to music in the midst of noise can achieve great things.
2. A rich, robust, well-resourced public education is one of the best routes out of poverty and a pathway to prosperity.

Q. Several villages in Jharkhand have resorted to Pathalgarhi – a tribal tradition of erecting stone slabs to demarcate the area of their villages’ jurisdiction, declaring their autonomy and self-rule in the areas under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution. In these localities, no outsider including the government servants is allowed. From various sources, it has come to be known that tribals are not happy with the state and central government as they feel ignored, marginalized and have been experiencing the plunder of their resources on which traditionally they enjoyed control. They hold new laws and developmental activities responsible for their plight.

Suppose you are a DM in one such affected district where this movement is going on, what strategies will you adopt to tackle the issues on short term as well as long term basis. Give justification for your strategies. (250 Words)

Q. Analyze with an example, the role of discretion in decision making. (150 Words)

Q. Do you agree that sometimes rules and laws become the basis for moral corruption in society? (150 Words)

Q. What do you mean by shadow banking system? What are the challenges faced by India’s shadow banking system at present? (150 words)

Q. Shifting of priority from land productivity to irrigation water productivity has its own set of challenges which need to be addressed in time. Discuss. (150 words)

Q. Describe the procedure of amendment of the Constitution of India under Article 368. Why this amendment procedure has been often criticized? (150 words)

Q. The rhetoric over severe punishments should not deflect our attention from the problems related to implementation of POCSO Act so far. Discuss in the context of POCSO (Amendment) Bill 2019. (150 words)

Q. Chola bronze sculptures are considered as the most elegant. Substantiate. (150 words)

Q. The issue of multiple time-zones for a country like India keeps resurfacing. In this context, examine the feasibility of multiple time zones in India. (150 words)

Essay Topics

1. Shared interests more than shared values are increasingly what drive international relations today.
2. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.

Rajesh is posted as a District Nodal Officer for a leading oil marketing company in a certain district. He has been authorized to make the Ujjwala scheme a success in the district. However, he finds that behavioural issues on the part of residents are a big hurdle. Most of the residents have the apprehension that food cooked on LPG is not healthy and is tasteless. They are also apprehensive about the safety of LPG. These challenges persist even after the conduct of LPG Panchayat and safety awareness camps, and residents dismiss these as misleading. Apart from this, other factors that are checking the success of the scheme include the affordable availability of biomass and unaffordability to refill the LPG cylinder. In view of the above situation, identify and evaluate the options before Rajesh so that he can make the Ujjwala scheme successful in the district. (250 words)

Q. What is environmental ethics? What are the various issues involved in environmental ethics? (150 Words)

Q. State the ethical challenges that the process of globalization has engendered. Also suggest the ways to overcome these challenges. (250 Words)

Q. Despite India’s outstanding growth in the last two decades, low pay and wage inequality remain serious obstacles towards achieving inclusive growth. Examine. (250 words)

Q. Enactment of Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act has brought the Indian economy on the path of fiscal prudence only in letter but not in spirit. Critically analyse. (250 words)

Q. Self-Help Groups have emerged as the most effective mechanism for the delivery of microfinance services to the poor. Critically examine. (250 words)

Q. “Social audit helps to narrow gaps between vision and reality.” Examine the statement and also discuss the impediments in the institutionalization of social audit in India. (250 words)

Q. Explain the concept of geomagnetism. Discuss the impact of the recent shift in the Earth’s magnetic north pole. (250 words)

Q. Throw light on the major environmental movements witnessed in India. Also, discuss the economic and identity issues associated with environmental movements. (250 words)

Essay Topics

a. India is not simply emerging: India has already emerged.

b. There are no failures in science.

Q. From ‘rat-hole mining’ to ‘open cast mining’, India has witnessed major mining disasters. The main reason behind these calamities is the unscientific, illegal and unsafe mining in India. As and when such disasters are in the news, the incumbent governments and administration address it at the immediate level. But there is indifference to providing sustainable solutions which frequently causes such disasters. After such calamities, an administrative tendency has also been observed which puts the blame on victims. The tacit consensus of the government and administration to unsafe mining activities in India and the attraction of miners are mainly linked to revenue and employment realization. But such activities also lead to widespread loss to the public exchequer and environmental degradation. Therefore, there should be a holistic preparedness to prevent such calamities and to comprehensively cope if they occur. 

1. Identify the underlying ethical issues in the above case. 
2. As competent authority, discuss some of the feasible strategies to prevent and combat such calamities. (250 words)