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(Exam Paper) UPSC IAS Mains 2001: General Studies

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(Exam Paper) UPSC IAS Mains 2001: General Studies

Paper - I

1. Answer any one of the following (about 250 words) : 30

(a) Discuss the main objectives of the Indian national movement up to 1905. What were its basic weaknesses during this period ?
(b) What administrative changes were introduced in India after 1858 ? What were the objectives of these changes ?

2. Answer any two of the following (About 150 words each) : 2 × 15 = 30

(a) How did the movement for the liberation of women receive a great stimulus from the rise and growth of the nationalist movement in India ?
(b) Discuss the aims and objects of the Khilafat Movement. To what extent was it successful?
(c) Why did Gandhi launch the Salt Satyagraha in 1930 and with what results ?

3. Write about the following (About 20 words each) 15 × 2 = 30

(i) Aryabhatta
(ii) D. K. Karve
(iii) J. Krishnamurthy
(iv) Prarthana Samaj
(v) Ghadar Party
(vi) Satyashodhak Samaj
(vii) Jamnalal Bajaj
(viii) Banabhatta
(ix) Gopi Kishna
(x) Pupul Jaykar
(xi) Mohammad Iqbal
(xii) Jaydeva
(xiii) T. Prakasam
(xiv) Champaran Satyagraha
(xv) Ali Brothers

4. Answer any two of the following (About 125 words each) 2 × 10 = 20

(a) What are mangroves and in what way are they useful to us ?
(b) Explain the causes of the Indian Monsoon.
(c) Had there been no Himalayas, what would have been the winter climate in north India?

5. Write short notes on the following (About 20 words each): 5 × 2 = 10

(i) El Nino
(ii) Hirakud Project
(iii) Glacier
(iv) Two prominent left bank tributaries of river Ganges
(v) Equinox

6. Answer any one of the following (About 250 words): 30

(a) Discuss the administrative relations between the centre and the states in the light of recent controversies.
(b) Bring out the aberrations of the parliamentary system of government in India.

7. Answer any one of the following (About 250 words) : 30

(a) What is the constitutional position of Directive Principles of State Policy ? How has it been interpreted by the judiciary after the emergency in 1975-77 ?
(b) What are the main differences between the passage of a Constitution Amendment Bill and other Legislative Bills?

8. Answer any two of the following (About 150 words each): 2 × 15 = 30

(a) Comment on the nature of Ordinancemaking power of the President of India. What safeguards are there against possible misuse ?
(b) Distinguish between Cabinet Secretariat and Prime Minister’s Secretariat. Which of these is more important ?
(c) Discuss the constitutional provisions regarding the rights of children.

9. Answer the following (About 20 words each): 5 × 2 = 10

(a) Explain the Local Area Development Scheme of the Members of Parliament.
(b) What is Ethics Committee of Lok Sabha?
(c) Why is it said that the centre has absolute veto over State Legislature ?
(d) What is Call Attention Motion ?
(e) When is the device of joint sitting of both the Houses of Parliament not available ?

10. Write any one of the following (About 250 words) : 30

(a) Review the population policy of the Govt. of India giving the distinguishing features.
(b) Discuss the significance of GSLV in space research.

11. Write on any two of the following (About 125 words each) 2 × 10 = 20

(a) Determine the utility of Direct To Home in broadcasting system.
(b) What are the UNDP indicators with reference to the planning process ?
(c) What are the Human Rights issues involved in relation to the arrest of M. Karunanidhi in Tamilnadu in July 2001?

12. Write notes on any two of the following (About 125 words each): 2 × 10 = 20

(a) Swarn Jayanti Gram Swaraj Yojana
(b) Law Commission of India
(c) Lalit Kala Akademi

13. Write about the following (About 20 words each): 5 × 2 = 10

(a) Pullela Gopichand
(b) E-commerce
(c) ICCR
(d) Sports Authority of India
(e) NCERT

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Paper - II

1. Answer any two of the following (Answer to each question should be in about 150 words): 15 × 2 = 30

(a) Discuss the global response to President George Bush ‘National Missile Defence Plan’ (NMD).
(b) What were the major recommendations of the group of ministers’ on Indian National Security System ?
(c) Examine the latest phase of Indo-Iran relations.

2. Answer the following (Answer to each question should be in about 20 words) : 2 × 5 = 10

(a) What is India’s ‘Look East Policy’?
(b) What do you understand by ‘G15’ ?
(c) Explain the problem of infiltration in eastern parts of India.
(d) Why does India object to Kashmir being treated as a disputed territory’ ?
(e) What is the significance of Pyrdiwah and Boraibari in IndoBangladesh relations ?

3. Answer the following (Answer to each question should be in about 20 words) : 2 × 5 =10

(a) In what fields have N.R.I.’s excelled in the developed countries ?
(b) In which specialties Indians are most wanted abroad?
(c) What efforts are being made by Indian Government to look after N.R.L’s ?
(d) What is the contribution of the N.R.I.’s to India’s development ?
(e) Why do N.R.I.’s retain their emotional attachment to India ?

4. Answer any ONE of the following (Answer should be in about 250 words)

(a) What is the incidence of poverty in India? How should poverty alleviation programmes be constructed ?
(b) Indian economy presents a paradox of high savings rate with low-income and high savings rate with low growth rate. Analyse. 30

5. Answer any TWO of the following (Answer to each question should be in about 150 words): 15 × 2 = 30

(a) Liberalisation of the Indian economy since 1991 has led to excessive consumerism and over-production of ‘white goods’. Elucidate.
(b) What are the hurdles faced by the Finance Ministers of India in keeping the fiscal deficit below 3-4 percent of the GDP ? Suggest steps to lower the fiscal deficit.
(c) Discuss the nature and causes of the UTI crisis with particular reference to US-64. How does this UTI fiasco affect the investment climate in India ?

6. Answer the following (Answer to each question should be in about 20 words): 2 × 15 = 30

(a) What is ‘CRISIL’ ? What does it do ?
(b) What do you understand by “Current Account Convertibility of Rupee” ?
(c) What do you mean by providing industry status to agriculture in India?
(d) Elucidate “Operation Flood”.
(e) Expand the term “nasdaq”.
(f) Differentiate between “galloping inflation” and “run-away inflation”.
(g) What is meant by “couple protection ratio”?
(h) Distinguish between “human development index” and “genderrelated development index”.
(i) What is green GNP ?
(j) Distinguish between a “hard” currency and a “soft” currency.
(k) Explain “rolling plan”.
(l) Illustrate Lorenz curve.
(m) What is meant by “trickle-down” theory of development.
(n) What is “misery index” ?
(o) What is meant by “Most Favoured Nation” policy ?

7. Answer any TWO of the following (Answer to each question should be in about 150 words): 15 × 2 = 30

(a) Discuss the significance of Kyoto Protocol. Why is U.S.A. not signing it ?
(b) Evaluate the performance of Summit meeting of the Arab League held in March 2001 ?
(c) Outline the salient features of India’s nuclear policy and explain the reasons for India’s refusal to sign the C.T.B.T.

8. Answer the following (Answer to each question should be in about 20 words) : 2 × 5 = 10

(a) What do the following stand for ?

(i) UNCIP
(ii) KLA.

(b) Why has Slobodan Milosevic been in news in the recent past ?
(c) Who is Gao Zhan ?
(d) Who is Meghawati Sukarnoputri ?
(e) Which is the latest right confirmed by the 57th session of the United Nations?

9. Answer the following (Answer to each question should be about 20 words): 2 × 5 = 10

(a) What is GCC ?
(b) Why was Macau in the news recently?
(c) What is G8 ?
(d) What is European Union ?
(e) Explain the position of US vis a vis the League of Nations.

10. Answer any ONE of the following (Answer should be in about 250 words)

(a) What is a cryogenic engine? Discuss its significance in India’s space programme.
(b) What are stem cells ? Why have they been in the news recently ? Discuss. 30

11. Answer any TWO of the following (Answer to each question should be in about 150 words): 15 × 2 = 30

(a) What is fibre optics ? What advantages does it offer in telecommunications ? Elaborate.
(b) What is vermicomposing ? Discuss its importance in the Indian context.
(c) What does the Montreal Protocol deal with ? Discuss its role in protecting Earth’s environment.

12. Answer the following (Answer to each question should be in about 20 words) : 2 × 5 = 10

(a) What is “handshake” in computer language?
(b) What is “ethernet” and what is it used for ?
(c) What is “digital signature” and what is it used for ?
(d) What do the following stand for ?

(i) DRAM
(ii) JPEG
(iii) ASCII
(iv) IMAP

(e) What is a WAP-enabled phone ?

13. Answer the following

(a) A sample survey based on 280 postgraduate students was undertaken to study student attitude towards a proposed change in the dormitory regulations. Each student was to respond as’ yes’ or ‘no’ or ‘indifferent’
in regard to the issue, The results are tabulated below :

Use a pie chart to represent the above information, and obtain the number of students saying ‘no’ to the proposed change.

(b) Represent the following data by percentage subdivided bar diagrams:

14. Answer the following : 4 + 2 + 2 = 8

(a) Representing the following data by suitable graphs, determine therefrom the number of children having I.Q. (i) below 105 (ii) above 124 :

(b) The following table shows certain data collected for the three regions of a country:

Obtain the overall figures for the three regions taken together. 4 × 2 = 8

15. Answer the following : 2 × 4 = 8

(a) A man goes by car from town ‘A’ to town ‘B’. A large part of the distance is uphill and he gets a mileage of 10 kms per litre of fuel. On his way back, he makes 15 kms, per litre of fuel. The distance between the two towns is 60 kms. What is the average mileage per litre of fuel ?
(b) In a school, there are 15 teachers. One of them drawing a monthly salary of Rs. 7,800 retires and a fresh appointment is made for a monthly salary of Rs. 6,300. By what amount is the average monthly salary of teachers changed ?
(c) The geometric rate of growth of sales for a company for the first three years was 25% and for the next three years was 40%. Is the claim of average growth being 65% valid ? Give analytic reason in support of your answer.
(d) A trains runs non-stop from New Delhi to Kanpur at a speed of 75 kmph and returns the same way at a speed of 60 kmph. Can you conclude that the average speed for the up and down journey is 67.5 kmph ? Justify your answer analytically.