Analysis of IAS Mains 2014: General Studies Question Paper - I

In General studies mains 2014 - PAPER I

• “1 mark=15 words.”
• 10 marks=150 words
• i.e. 3750 words in 3 hours .
• No five-marker questions this time.

(1) Indian Heritage and Culture : Total Questions – 04 Questions {out of 25} (16%)
(2) History of India: Total Questions – 03 Questions {out of 25} (12%)
(3) History of World: Total Questions – 03 Questions {out of 25} (12%)
(4) Social Issues and Indian Society (50 marks) : Total Questions – 05 Questions {out of 25} (20%)
(5) Geography of India and World (100 marks) : Total Questions – 10 Questions {out of 25} (40 %)

This year word limit reduced but the vagueness increased in the sense that most of the questions are from generalized perspective and it is very problematic to write even 150 words answers on the few of questions . But those who have regular habit of reading the newspapers like ‘The Hindu’ would be in advantageous position. In history and social issues questions at some places while writing the answer there is less facts available so here the writing ability will matter . The questions are from the areas never given any focus earlier because of their less importance in General Studies.

In our Contemporary Issues of General Studies Mains this year we warned you of such types of questions of less importance and topics of contemporary relevance.

Indian Heritage and Culture (40 marks)

1. To what extent has the urban planning and culture of the Indus Valley Civilization provided inputs to the present day urbanization? Discuss.(10 marks)

2. Gandhara sculpture owed as much to the Romans as to the Greeks. Explain. (10 marks)

3. Sufis and medieval mystic saints failed to modify either the religious ideas and practices or the outward structure of Hindu / Muslim societies to any appreciable extent. Comment. (10 marks)

4. Taxila university was one of the oldest universities of the world with which were associated a number of renowned learned personalities of different disciplines. Its strategic location caused its fame to flourish, but unlike Nalanda, it is not considered as a university in the modern sense. Discuss .(10 marks)

History of India (30 marks)

1. The third battle of Panipat was fought in 1761. Why were so many empire-shaking battles fought at Panipat? (10 marks)
2. In what ways did the naval mutiny prove to be the last nail in the coffin of British colonial aspirations in India? (10 marks)
3. Examine critically the various facets of economic policies of the British in India from mid-eighteenth century till independence. (10 marks)

History of World (30 marks)

1. What were the major political, economic and social developments in the world which motivated the anti-colonial struggle in India? (10 marks)
2. The New Economic Policy – 1921 of Lenin had influenced the policies adopted by India soon after independence. Evaluate. (10 marks)
3. What were the events that led to the Suez Crisis in 1956? How did it deal a final blow to Britain’s self-image as a world power? (10 marks)

Social Issues and Indian Society (50 marks)

Women (20 marks)

1. How does patriarchy impact the position of a middle class working woman in India?(10 marks)
2. Discuss the various economic and socio-cultural forces that are driving increasing feminization of agriculture in India.(10 marks)

Population (20 marks)

1. Why do some of the most prosperous regions of India have an adverse sex ratio for women? Give your arguments. (10 marks)
2. The life cycle of a joint family depends on economic factors rather than social values. Discuss. (10 marks)

Secularism (10 marks)

1. How do the Indian debates on secularism differ from the debates in the West? (10 marks)

Geography of India and World (100 marks)

Physical Geography (20 marks)

1. Explain the formation of thousands of islands in Indonesian and Philippines archipelagos.(10 marks)
2. Why are the world’s fold mountain systems located along the margins of continents? Bring out the association between the global distribution of Fold Mountains and the earthquakes and volcanoes.(10 marks)

Climatology (30 marks)

1. Tropical cyclones are largely confined to South China Sea, Bay of Bengal and Gulf of Mexico. Why?(10 marks)
2. Bring out the relationship between the shrinking Himalayan glaciers and the symptoms of climate change in the Indian sub-continent.(10 marks)
3. Most of the unusual climatic happenings are explained as an outcome of the El-Nino effect. Do you agree?(10 marks)

Industrial Geography (30 marks)

1. Whereas the British planters had developed tea gardens all along the Shivaliks and Lesser Himalayas from Assam to Himachal Pradesh, in effect they did not succeed beyond the Darjeeling area. Explain.(10 marks)
2. Why did the Green Revolution in India virtually by-pass the eastern region despite fertile soil and good availability of water?(10 marks)
3. Account for the change in the spatial pattern of the Iron and Steel industry in the world.(10 marks)

Resources and Regional Distribution (20 marks)

1. Critically evaluate the various resources of the oceans which can be harnessed to meet the resource crisis in the world.(10 marks)
2. How does India see its place in the economic space of rising natural resource rich Africa?(10 marks)

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