Civil Service Exam 2009: General Studies

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Paper I

Instructions

Each Question is printed both in Hindi and English Medium.

Answer must be written in the medium specified in the Admission Certificate issued to you, which must be stated clearly on the cover of the answer book in the space provided for the purpose. No Marks will be given for the answers written in a medium other than that specific in the Admission Certificate.

Candidates should attempt all questions strictly in accordance with the instructions given under each question. The number of marks carried by each question is indicated at the end of the question.

  1. Critically analyze any two of the following statements with reference to the context in which they were made (in about 150 words each) 15 × 2 = 30
    1. Many Englishmen honesty consider themselves the trustees for India and yet to what a condition they have reduced our country.
    2. The Foreign power will be withdrawn but for me real freedom will come only when we free ourselves of the dominance of western education, western culture and western way of living which have been ingrained in us.
    3. Satan cannot enter till he finds a flaw. A great ocean separate us educated few from the millions in our country.
  2. Write about the following (not exceeding 20 words each)
    1. King Nongbah 2 × 10 = 20
    2. Maski
    3. Govind Guru
    4. ‘Brahmadeya’
    5. ‘Egmore Faction’
    6. Haileybury College
    7. Ijara System
    8. Taji Mideren
    9. Gurudwara Reform Movement
    10. ‘Marumakkathayam’
  • Time Allowed: Three Hours Maximum Marks: 300

3. Answer any four of the following questions (in about 150 words each) 15 × 4 = 60

  1. Assess the significance of coastal regions in the economic development of India.
  2. Discuss the wetlands and their role in the ecological conservation in India.
  3. Elaborate the steps taken by the Government for regionally differentiated approach to increase crop production and diversification in the country.
  4. Bring out the Significance of the various activities of the Indian Metrological Department.
  5. Examine the status of urbanization among the states in India and bring out spatial inequalities.

4. Write about the following (not exceeding 30 words each) 3 × 10 = 30

  1. ‘Bhuvan Website’
    1. National Waterways
    2. Ultra Mega Power Projects
    3. NNRMS
    4. BSUP Scheme
    5. Gagan Project
    6. Fruit Production in India
    7. Section 377 of IPC
    8. Wherebouts clause of WADA
    9. Barren Island

5. Answer any two of the following questions (in about 100 words each) 10 × 2 = 20

  1. Analyse India՚s achievements in the sports sectors during 2008 − 2009.
  2. List the salient features of the important folk dances of either Central India or Northern Eastern India.
  3. What are the important similarities and difference between the Hindustani and the Carnatic Styles of Classic music?
  4. 6. Answer any two of the following questions (in about 150 words each) 15 × 2 = 30
  5. What are your views on the features and impact of Domestic Violence Act, 2005?
  6. Are the traditional determinants of voting behavior in India changing? Examine in the context of last General Elections.
  7. Examine corruption as a serious development challenge in Indian Polity.

7. Answer any two of the following questions (in about 150 words each) 15 × 2 = 30

  1. Mushrooming of Higher Educational Institutions was a matter of grave concern for Yashpal Committte. With reference to the relevant portion of that report give your views how to harmonise private investment and quality of education.
  2. In the changing context of governance in the country, what should be the role of the UPSC?
  3. In the Context of recent incidents, suggest measures on how security of passengers and property can be improved over indian railways.

8. Answer any one of the following questions (in about 250 words each) 30

  1. Comment on the salient features of the Integrated Energy Policy recently approved by the government and its implication on the energy security needs of the country.
  2. How far has impact of the global meltdown been reflected in the Economic Survey 2008 − 09? Identify some of the core areas given priority to neutralize the adverse effects of the global downturn.

9. Answer any two of the following questions (in about 150 words each) 15 × 2 = 30

  1. Trace the significance steps in the evolution of Television in the country.
  2. The Last National Family Health Survey (NFHS) displayed a very dismal picture of nutrition as regards several indicators for average Indians. Highlights the salient aspects of this problem.
  3. ‘As we live in a plural society we need the greatest freedom to expresss our opinions even if others find it offensive’ Do you agree? Discuss with reference to some recent incidents in the Indian context.

10. Write about the following (not exceeding 20 words each)

  1. Desert National Park 2 × 10 = 20
  2. Significance of 26th November in the Country՚s Polity
  3. Rajiv Gandhi Seva Kendra
  4. Girni Kamgar Union
  5. Ayush-64
  6. Rashtriya Gramin Vikas Nidhi (GGVN)
  7. Deep Joshi՚s recent Achievement
  8. Satya Vrat Shastri՚s recent achievement
  9. Pocket Veto
  10. PESA, 1996

General Studies: Paper II

Time Allowed: Three Hours

Maximum Marks: 300

Instructions

Each Question is printed both in Hindi and English Medium.

Answer must be written in the medium specified in the Admission Certificate issued to you, which must be stated clearly on the cover of the answer book in the space provided for the purpose. No Marks will be given for the answers written in a medium other than that specific in the Admission Certificate.

Candidates should attempt all questions strictly in accordance with the instructions given under each question.

The number of marks carried by each question is indicated at the end of the question.

  1. Write notes on any three of the following (in about 150 words each) 3 × 15 = 45
    1. India՚s strategic interests in South Asia
    2. China՚s ‘peaceful rise’ doctrine
    3. India Russia Defence Ties
    4. India՚s՚soft and Hard power strategy in foreign policy
  2. Write brief notes on any four of the following in about 50 words each 4 × 5 = 20
    1. Nuclear Supply Group (NSG) and India
    2. Your view on the recent ‘Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self Governance Order 2009 Order’
    3. Wakhan Corridor
    4. Nuclear Submarine ‘Arihant’
    5. National Security Advisory Board (NSAB)
  3. Comment on any two of the following in about 100 words 2 × 10 = 20
    1. India USA as strategic partners
    2. Ethnic conflict in South Asia
    3. ‘NEPAD’ and its objectives
  4. Write on any two of the following in about 50 words each. 2 × 5 = 10
    1. Indo-Bhutan trade relations
    2. Sino Myanmar relations
    3. Geopolitics and Geostrategy
  5. Comment critically on any one of the following statements in not more than 200 words: 20
    1. Foreign investment is far from being critical to India՚s economic growth
    2. The Lesson of current global financial crisis is that India should halt and may be even reverse financial liberalization.
  6. Answer any one of the following in about 200 words: 20
    1. In the WTO negotiations over the years of the DOHA Rounds, India appears to be diluting its stand on agriculture issues to pursue perceived gains in services. Critically examine this statements.
    2. Discuss the Indo US Knowledge initiative in Agriculture.
  7. Answer any two of the following questions (in about 150 words each) 15 × 2 = 30
    1. Evaluate the prospects for greater economic cooperation between India & China.
    2. Does India need the world Bank?
    3. Critically assesses the recent Free Trade Agreement entered into by India with ASEAN.
  8. Answer any three of the following questions (in about 150 words each) 3 × 15 = 45
    1. What do you understand by ‘Biosignatures’ Discuss briefly.
    2. Write about Green Florescence Protein (GFP) and its application.
    3. Define ‘Bioinformatics’ How does it work? What is the major branches and applications?
    4. What is the ‘Hubble Space Telescope’ How many Service Mission (SMs) have been conducted for it?
  9. Explain any four of the following (100 words each) 4 × 10 = 40
    1. DNA Finger Printing and its utility.
    2. What is ‘Nanotech’ Give a brief account of its basic concepts, material used and applications.
    3. What is ‘Graphene’ Mention at least three of its applications.
    4. Define ‘optical frequency comb’ Suggest at least three applications.
    5. Why is Tele-medicine important for country like India?
  10. Write brief notes on any five of the following (in about 30 words each) : 5 × 13 = 15
    1. Artificial Sun
    2. ‘Vegetable Gold’
    3. PFCs and ‘liquid breathing’
    4. The ‘P − 8 A Poseidon’
    5. Biometric ATMs
    6. Extra Vehicle Activity (EVA)
  11. Answer the questions below
    1. The total areas of cultivation of high, medium and low sugar content, sugarcanes in four regions of a state are given below:
Table Supporting: General Studies: Paper II
Sugar ContentNorthSouthEastWest
HighSugar Content 100Sugar Content 100Sugar Content 200Sugar Content 50
MediumSugar Content 300Sugar Content 300Sugar Content 400Sugar Content 250
LowSugar Content 800Sugar Content 400Sugar Content 1000Sugar Content 700
TotalSugar Content 1200Sugar Content 800Sugar Content 1600Sugar Content 1000
  • Draw suitable diagram that facilitates the comparison of areas of cultivation of different sugar content varieties among the four regions 6

b. The following table gives the production of soda ash (in tons) by three companies (A, B and C) over seven years period:

Table Supporting: General Studies: Paper II
CompanyYear 1996Year 1997Year 1998Year 1999Year 2000Year 2001Year 2002
AProduction in Tons 20Production in Tons 25Production in Tons 28Production in Tons 31Production in Tons 34Production in Tons 36Production in Tons 41
BProduction in Tons 15Production in Tons 18Production in Tons 23Production in Tons 35Production in Tons 40Production in Tons 46Production in Tons 50
CProduction in Tons 45Production in Tons 43Production in Tons 40Production in Tons 37Production in Tons 30Production in Tons 26Production in Tons 20
  • Draw a suitable diagram so as to compare the performance of these companies.
c. The following date relate to the sales and net profit (in Rupees Crores) of a company: 4
Table Supporting: General Studies: Paper II
YearsYear 1994 − 95Year 1995 − 96Year 1996 − 97Year 1997 − 98Year 1998 − 99
SalesSales 100Sales 250Sales 300Sales 290Sales 680
Net Profits2.54.56.08.512.0
  1. In which year the percentage of growth in sales, relative to the previous year is higher?
  2. In which year the percentage of growth in net profit, relative to the previous year, is higher?
  3. Let the probability be defined as the ratio of Net Profit to sales.In which Year the profitability is higher?
d. The Total sales (in 000 rupees) of a particular item in shop, on 10 consecutive days, is reported by a clerk as follows: 35.00 29.60 38.00 30.00 40.00 41.00 42.00 45.00 3.60 3.80 (5 marks) Later it was found that reports of the 4th and 8th days were 10.00 more than the true values and that in the last two days the clerk put a decimal wrongly one place to the left (for example, 3.60 was really 36.0) . Calculate the true mean value of sale 12. In a factory, 1500 women are working. Eight hundred of them come from rural areas and 450 of the married women are skill labourers. The number of skilled, rural and married labourers is 300. Of the 400 unmarried and skilled women labourers, 250 are from urban areas. The number of married, semi skill women labouers from urban areas is 200. One hundred married rural women are semi skilled labourers. Tabulate the above information. 4 e. The mean score of a class in an examination is 70. If the mean score of boys is 60 and that of girls is 75, obtain the percentage of girls in the class. 4 f. In a city 20% people read newspaper A, 25% people read B and 10% read both A and B. What is the percentage of people who read at least one of the two newspapers? 2 g. In order to study the effect of inoculation on TB, It was found that the number of inoculated and unaffected from TB is 28. And not inoculated and affected from TB is 13. If inoculation was performed over 40 persons out of 60 persons, complete the table and obtain the missing numbers. h.The percentage of literates six villages of an area are noted as follows: 52, 46, 21, 30,17, 24 (2 marks) Can compute the percentage of literates in the entire area from this information? If yes, compute the percentage. If no, state what additional information you would need for computation.