Mains Practice Questions

Q. Briefly outline the underlying causes for the declining cost of electricity production in recent times. Also, suggest policy measures to reduce the cost further. (250 words)

Q. What do you understand by “Wuhan Spirit”? Examine the reset in India-China relations in the context of Wuhan spirit and Chennai Connect. (250 words)

Q. Should Hindi be Lingua franca for India? Comment in the light of linguistic diversity and cultural significance of languages in India. (250 words)

Q. “It was a firm belief of Gandhiji that in the peaceful struggle of Swaraj, the women of India can outdistance men by a mile.” Comment. (250 words)

Q. What do you understand by intrusive forms? Briefly describe various intrusive forms. (250 words)

Essay Topics

A. A rich, robust, well-resourced public education is one of the best routes out of poverty and a pathway to prosperity.

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

You are posted as an additional superintendent of police in the District. The incidents of lynching over the rumours of child lifting have increased in the state in past few months. 

Recently, one such incident took place at the Government hospital, where two brothers who had taken their nephew to a doctor for treatment were misjudged and attacked by the mob over suspicion of child lifting.

The police rushed to the spot after receiving the information and rescued the brothers. However, one of them was declared dead on arrival at the hospital. The deceased person was as a young leader and potential candidate for the upcoming Panchayat elections.

The locals from the nearby village along with the relatives of the deceased person are protesting and accusing police of negligence. They are claiming the incident as a planned political murder and demanding for arrest of the rival candidate who has strong political backing.

(a) Identify the stakeholders and various dimensions of the crisis involved in the issue. 

(b) What would be the course of action taken by you to manage the situation as an additional superintendent of police? Suggest the measures to deal with the incident lynching. (200 words)

Q. There is a need for global standards of ethics, but their application will have to be adapted to local conditions. Comment. (150 words)

Q. Briefly explain the following terms with the help of an example:

(a) Ethical Fading

(b) Fiduciary Duty

(c) Bounded Ethicality

Q. Higher disposable income for the poor can have positive multiplier effects in the economy. Discuss. (250 words)

Q. How are cooperative banks are different from scheduled commercial banks? Examine the advantages, challenges of cooperative banks, along with suggestions for their better performance. (250 words)

Q. Unequal access to the Internet creates and reproduces socio-economic exclusions. Discuss. (250 words)

Q. It takes more than government and courts to address a problem that is driven by human activity and behaviour. Good and effective regulations matter, but the key is cultural and behavioural change.Comment. (250 words)

Q. What do you understand by Uniform Civil Code? Examine its relevance for a secular country like India and challenges in its implementation. (250 words)

Q. Discuss the processes through which the earth-atmosphere system maintains heat balance. (150 words)

Essay Topics

A. The proper use of science is not to conquer nature but to live in it.

B. Man makes religion, religion does not make man.

Q. You are the director of a department that has recently been engulfed in the #MeToo campaign when two of the deputy directors working under you have been publicly named as sexual predators by two women in the department. As directed by the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, you are to initiate a committee of inquiry and submit the report within 90 days.
Before initiating the committee you are faced with two narratives, first, that this is not the first time both women have come forward with similar accusations; second, that you have known both the deputy directors and their families for quite some time now, and you have noticed nothing in their behaviour that says they could have been the sexual predators as alleged.
Now, while the women want you to begin the inquiry process at the earliest, the deputy directors deny all charges and say that they want to pursue defamation cases against their main accusers. In all this, public pressure is against you, with the media discussing the case on a regular basis.

(a) As a director of a department what will be your course of action for starting an official investigation? State the merits and demerits of whatever course of action you decide to follow.

(b) Do you also agree that the sexual nature of a crime makes the crime ethically different and difficult (to handle) from other crimes? Give valid reasons to support your views. (250 words)

Q. Do you see a shift in India’s international ethics in light of its non-alignment policy? Give reasons in support of your answer. (150 words)

Q. What do you understand by medical ethics? Examine its relevance in the context of deteriorating patient-physician relationship in India. (150 words)

Q. Examine the impact of India’s huge dependence on imports to meet its energy and oil needs. Also, suggest measures to attain self-sufficiency in this regard. (250 words)

Q. What do you understand by Darknet? Examine the issues and security concerns associated with it. (250 words)

Q. Despite being mineral-rich regions, the Eastern states of India have failed to register expected growth and social indices. Examine the reasons for this failure along with suitable remedial measures. (250 words)

Q. What do you understand by neo-colonialism? Do you agree that international institutions have promoted neocolonialism in the garb of promoting growth, stability and peace? (250 words)

Essay Topics

A. Hero worship of politicians breeds polarisation of the masses.

B. Globalization, far from putting an end to power diplomacy between States, has, on the contrary, intensified it.

You are the Superintendent of Police (SP) in the district where instances of honour killing are rampant. One day you receive a phone call from a girl informing you of the potential threat to her and her partners’ life from her family as she has decided to marry a boy belonging to a lower caste. Moreover, the local police station is not filing the FIR or granting them protection. You ask her to visit your office but she demands police protection to come out from the hideout as her father’s goons are chasing her.

On further inquiry, you come to know that the girl is the daughter of one of the most powerful Minister of the State and both girl and boy are legally eligible to get married. The family is concerned about the family prestige due to the lower caste of the boy and also of the financial stability of marriage as they both are unemployed. You are under extreme political pressure to charge the boy of kidnapping the girl or else face the consequences.

In such circumstances, point out the ethical dilemma faced by you and options available to you. Also, chalk out the course of action you would prefer to follow. (250 words)

Q. Examine the reasons and situations that lead to a conflict of interest for a public servant and ways to resolve them. (150 words)

Q. What do you understand by ethical governance and examine how is it different from good governance? (150 words)

Q. Discuss the environmental and strategic importance of the Arctic region for India. (250 words)

Q. Unequal access to the Internet creates and reproduces socio-economic exclusions. Discuss. (250 words)

Q. What were the major consequences of the disintegration of the Soviet Union for countries like India? (250 words)