Geography

2014: GS-I (Paper-II)

1. Most of the unusual climate happenings are explained as outcome of El-Nino effect. Do you agree? (Marks: 10, Words: 150)
2. Why are worlds Fold Mountains located along the margin of continents? Bring out the association between the global distribution of Fold
Mountains and earthquake and volcanoes. (Marks: 10, Words: 150)
3. Explain the formation of thousands of islands in the Indonesian and Philippines archipelagos. (Marks: 10, Words: 150)
4. Tropical cyclones are largely confined in South China Sea, Bay of Bengal and Gulf of Mexico. Why? (Marks: 10, Words: 150)
5. Bring out the relationship between shrinking Himalayan glaciers and symptoms of climate changes in India. (Marks: 10, Words: 150)

2013: GS-I (Paper-II)

1. What do you understand by the theory of continental drif? Discuss the prominent evidence in its support. (Marks: 5, Words: 100)
2. The recent cyclone in the east coast of India was called Phailin. How are the tropical cyclones named all over the world? Elaborate.
(Marks: 5, Words: 100)
3. Bring out the causes the formation of the Heat Islands in the urban habitat in the world. (Marks: 5, Words: 100)
4. What do you understand by the Temperature Inversion in meteorology? How does it affect the weather and habitants of a place? (Marks:
5, Words: 100)
5. Major deserts of the Northern hemisphere are located in 20-30 degree N latitude and on the western side of continents. Why? (Marks:
10, Words: 200)
6. Bring out the causes of the more frequent landslides in Himalayan than the Western Ghats. (Marks: 5, Words: 100)
7. There is no formation of Deltas by the rivers of the Western Coast. Why? (Marks: 5, Words: 100)

India afer Independence (Polity)

2013: GS-I (Paper-II)

1. Analyse the circumstances that lead to Tashkent Agreement in 1966. Discuss the highlights of the agreement. (Marks: 10, Words: 200)
2. Critically examine the compulsions which promoted India to play a decisive role in emergence of Bangladesh. (Marks: 10, Words: 200)
3. Write a critical note on the evolution and significance of the slogan Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan. (Marks: 10, Words: 200)

Insights of India website (General Studies):

Insights of India: GS-I (Paper-II)

1. What impact would backlash against Globalisation, technological innovations and rivalries between great powers will have on India?
Critically analyze. (Marks: 10, Words: 200)
2. It is argued that geography predetermines conflicts. Illustrate this with the example of ongoing Manipur crisis. (200 Words)
3. Can recent demonetization be considered as cultural revolution? Critically comment. (200 Words)

Insights of India: GS-II (Paper-III)

4. Do you think India should repeal the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010? Is an autonomous, self-regulatory agency for NGOs
the need of the hour? Critically examine. (200 Words) [Reference: The Hindu, 27 Dec, 2016]
5. Analyse the disruption caused by demonetization? How has demonetization affected interests of software industry? Critically examine.
(200 Words)
6. The Centres proposal to set up a single, permanent tribunal, subsuming all existing ad hoc tribunals, to adjudicate on inter-state river
water disputes could be a major step towards streamlining the dispute redressal mechanism. Will it be able to address the different kinds
of problemslegal, administrative, constitutional and politicalthat plagues the overall framework? Examine. (200 Words)
7. Discuss the reforms and their significance brought in the rules governing grant of passports in India. (200 Words)
8. Both Pakistan and China have suggested that India should join the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC) project. Should
India join CPEC? What does this offer by these two countries signify? Critically comment. (200 Words)
9. These days USA considers India to be a reliable and trusted partner in the process of stabilizing Afghanistan. Discuss why. (200 Words)

Insights of India: GS-III (Paper-IV)

 10. Why is the successful test-firing of the long-range ballistic missile Agni-V for the fourth time considered as a significant step? Examine.
(200 Words)
11. September 2016 marked a decade of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) notification in India. What is the procedure involved in
making EIA? After EIA and project approval, what mechanism exists to check compliance of project conditions? Why is compliance
important? Critically examine. (200 Words)
12. Financial inclusion remains an unfulfilled dream for disabled people in India. Discuss reasons behind their exclusion, the challenges they
face in accessing financial services and measures needed to bring them into financial inclusion fold. (200 Words)
13. Climate change financing faces several hurdles, especially when it comes to financing from financial sector itself. What are the challenges
that have hindered climate specific financing from financial institutions? How such financing can be mobilized? Discuss. (200 Words)

Insights of India: GS-IV (Paper-V)

14. Max Webber said that it is not wise to apply to public administration the sort of moral and ethical norms we apply to matters of personal
conscience. It is important to realize that the state bureaucracy might possess its own independent bureaucratic morality . Critically
analyze this statement. (150 words)

15. Our attitudes towards life, work, other people and society are generally shaped unconsciously by the family and the social surroundings in
which we grow up. Some of these unconsciously acquired attitudes and values are often undesirable in the citizens of a modern
democratic and egalitarian society.
16. a) Discuss such undesirable values prevalent in Todays educated Indians.

17. b) How can such undesirable attitudes be changed and socio-ethical values considered necessary in public services be cultivated in the
aspiring and serving civil servants? (150 words)

18.