UPSC Mains General Studies Paper 1 Step by Step Guide for IAS preparation syllabus wise topics - pravinnath/upscpreparationguide GitHub Wiki

Pre Modern India (1)

Clarify how mid-eighteenth century India was beset with the spectre of a fragmented polity.

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The question on fragmented polity was simple in the sense that it can be easily answered. But only if the topic was known and its linkage with Modern India well understood. The question is an indication of the fact the students shouldn’t forget the linkages between Modern India and pre modern India events either in India or even with the events that take place in the world.

Freedom Struggle (4)

Why did the ‘Moderates’ failed to carry conviction with the nation about their proclaimed ideology and political goals by the end of the nineteenth century?

1. The question on Moderates and their strategies has been asked frequently in Civil Services in the past. The meaning of the question is very comprehensible, what is to be written is equally structured but how is it that is to be written is a difficult job.

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Examine how the decline of traditional artisanal industry in colonial India crippled the rural economy

2. Decline of traditional artisan industry was indeed a simple topic that will be present in any source or any book on History. Its not too much of an effort to find its answer.

Highlight the importance of the new objectives that got added to the vision of Indian Independence since the twenties of the last century.

3. The question on the importance of the new objectives and how it added to the vision of Indian Independence since the twenties of the last century was straightforward as far as the chapter was concerned but the transition in language and the moulding of expression was what was more significant to present in the answers. Generally, by looking at the topic, the students say that the topic is simple. This approach is to be abandoned now and the students should indeed look at the way the question is asked.

The women’s questions arose in modern India as a part of the 19th century social reform movement. What are the major issues and debates concerning women in that period?

4. Women’s question on social reform movement is one topic that the UPSC has been asking almost every year in one form or another. The student is required to undertand issue concerning women during liberation struggle.

World History (1)

What problems are germane to the decolonization process in the Malay Peninsula

The question on decolonization of Malay Peninsula is one question that the students will consider as bolt from the blue. Partly that will be right as well, as the students mostly prepare for their chapter and syllabus rather than train themselves for developing an insight into the topic. Any chapter on decolonisation will include examples from SE Asia, Africa and Latin America, and it was simply one example.

Post Independence India (1)

Distinguish between religiousness/religiosity and communalism giving one example of how the former has got transformed into the latter in independent India

The question on differentiation between Religiousness and communalism was in the offing since a lot of talk was on Kashmir issue being a communal problem rather than any other problem and that people must separate their emotions of religiousness from communal overtones. Religion doesn’t teaches them to be communal. The topic may be in a book, the description may be in a chapter, but the insight and the language had to be developed by the candidate themselves.

Geography (9)

From thew standpoint of number of marks, this was the biggest section having the highest allocation of marks.

How does the Juno Mission of NASA help to understand the origin and evolution of the Earth .

The question on JUNO Mission is current affairs based and made major headlines few months back. So Geography started getting Current as well from this point onward.

Inspite of adverse environmental impact, coal mining is still inevitable for development”. Discuss

The question on adverse effect of coal mining may look like a normal question which can be answered by newspapers or some environmental magazine, but it is not. The answer required a comparative deep analytical presentation of why despite adverse impact, coal mining is still preferred, it also required deep understanding of comparative environmental impacts of other sources as well. Amalgamation of various components of environment vs development is significant content for analysis incorporation here.

Mention the advantages of the cultivation of pulses because of which the year 2016 was declared as the International Year of Pulses by United Nations

The question on pulses was asked for it was in news and because of the degree of simplicity it went on to wear. It was very answerable in the most conventional manner. Indeed, It is a combination of Current Affairs with Geography with Agriculture.

How does the cryosphere affect global climate

The question on Cryosphere was Straightforward, but not easy to answer at all as it talked about the impact cryosphere has, not the melting of cryosphere has on environment. The answer to this question is very technical and required a real deep understanding of albedo, inversions, katabatic winds, stabilty and regional climates. The question was asked in geography optional in 2012 and offered a lot of scope to the candidate for making a mistake. The answer is not published anywhere in text till now.

Account for variations in oceanic salinity and discuss its multi-dimensional effects

On Oceanic Salinity, there were two components. One was the reasons for salinity difference. This is something that everyone studies at the basic level during their initial days of preparation. The second part was on its multi-dimensional effects and this required a real deep understanding of the topic. Till now no GS book is equipped to answer this topic correctly. The multidimensional effects required candidates to discuss 1. Changes in the physical properties of water, and its consequences for something like monsoons, 2. osmotic pressure, 3. Climatic and Weather Changes, and 3. Biotic effects like it has on Euryhaline organisms or Stenohaline organisms.

Petroleum refineries are not necessarily located nearer to crude oil producing areas, particularly in many of the developing countries. Explain its implications

The question on Petroleum refinery as to why they are are not necessarily located nearer to crude oil producing areas, particularly in many of the developing countries and its implications is a knowledge filled topic, requiring some real deep studies and perspective development. The topic was not available anywhere in any book or any site before examination.

In what way can floods be converted into a sustainable source of irrigation and all-weather inland navigation in India

The question on flood required a good application of mind. It had nothing to do with floods which keep coming regularly in certain parts of India and is not a current affairs based topic. The topic was asked on the basis of seminar on local wisdom and how the modern methods of flood control had not been helpful, and why do we need to go for traditional local wisdom which can control floods without any environmental damage and at the same time aiding navigation and irrigation as well. It was a very deep understanding based topic and the solution to floods has not been approached in that manner at all till now on any portal or any site. Moreover this answer was not to be written in points at all.

What characteristics can be assigned to monsoon climate that succeeds in feeding more than 50 percent of the world population residing in Monsoon Asia

The topic has nothing to do with mundane characteristics. It required linking every characteristic along with with its cropping pattern, intensity of cropping, crop diversification, livestock issues, irrigation or non irrigation approach as well as determination of agricultural season. No NCERT will help the candidates. What will help is conceptualization of monsoons and its insightful inter linkages.

In the context of the diversity of India, can it be said that the regions form cultural units rather than the States? Give reasons with examples for your view point

Whether regions form cultural units other than states is an interesting facet and therefore of medium to high difficulty in terms of language and expression, Factually, the topic is so easily found and in every type of sources. Every one thinks that they can write an answer on this topic, but how is that they structure it, is what is very important. The topic is easy, and easier the topic the more difficult it is to write. This was one such topic that tested the candidates ability to write a fluent language. Anyone writing in pointwise form is gone.

Social Issues (3)

The spirit of tolerance and love is not only an interesting feature of Indian society from very early times, but it is also playing an important part at the present. Elaborate

The question on “the spirit of tolerance and love is not only an extraordinary feature of Indian society from very early times, but it is also playing an important part during present. The question has been asked to test the candidates ability of understanding of the Hindu society, understanding of Indianness which is talked about so much now in the world and about Dr Shashi Tharoor’s endorsement of Arnold Toyanbes’s statement, “It is already becoming clearer that a chapter which has a western beginning will have to have an Indian ending, if it is not to end in the self destruction of the human race”. So unless the candidates have actually known the proceedings of discussion or evinced interest in the statement which is now being recognized more and more by the Westerners, their insight will be missing.

What are the two major legal initiatives by the State since Independence addressing discrimination against Scheduled Tribes

Major legal initiatives for STs is a GS Paper-II question. Students having read Polity books of Laxmikant or Pylee or even Social Issues or even gathered material from portals or Social Welfare sites of Govt of India will be answering it easily.

The growth of cities as I.T hubs is a new question, innovative question on innovative topic with a potent mixture of Economy, Sociology and Geography. It looks like a standard question from Urbanism and urban issues. But, this question now defines the trend of interrelated and interactive question approach with an emphasis on interdisciplinary approach.

Generalisations that can be drawn out of Paper 1

To begin with the paper is quite lengthy because of dimensions it has covered.

The questions are straight but subtle and have numerous traps for the candidate. All the questions do not test the candidate’s ability to know facts, rather they keep a tab on the candidates’ ability to write good expressive language, mould the language, and vary the structure and organization of the write up instantly in the exam hall.

The arrangement of questions in paper has changed.

The paper has covered most of the untouched topics. The lesson it offers is, “Never leave a topic considering it to be less important”. Complete coverage of the syllabus is very essential.

Thinking that too much amount of time will be spent on Art & Culture will be counter productive, will be actually counterproductive as one never know that in 2018, you are asked five questions on that.

The relative weightage of Geography has increased to 50%. Geography has to studied in a manner that needs to go much beyond NCERT and Goh Cheng Leong. Some related events in newspapers especially has to be paid special attention which can be even remotely related to Geography.

The Question Paper was very innovative, very thought-provoking and would have been really enjoyable to answer by gathering and amalgamating all insights.

Surprisingly there is some current affair topic in the paper which can be conceptualized only in hindsight.

The paper has a trap by dividing questions in the word limit of 150 and 250 and considering the time factor one will not be able be write all answers.

This time paper is not grouped topic wise as has always been the case. So one is readily surprised.

READING UPSC’s MIND - ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION