mrunal.org-analysis general studies mains 2012 paper 1 amp 2012

7/27/2019 Mrunal.org-Analysis General Studies Mains 2012 Paper 1 Amp 2012

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mrunal.org

http://mrunal.org/2012/10/analysis-general-studies-mains-2012-paper-1-2-topicwise-analysis-future-approach-

for-upsc-ias-ips-exam.html

[Analysis] General Studies (Mains) 2012 Paper1 & 2: Topicwise Analysis, future approach for

UPSC IAS IPS exam1. Difficulty

2. Conspiracy theories

3. History (Freedom Struggle)

4. Culture

5. Polity

6. Yearbook

7. Public Health

8. Environment (NOT Geography!)

9. [PIN] Persons in News

10. Diplomacy

11. Economy

12. Science Tech

13. Statist ics and Data Interpretation

14. Topicwise Breakup for Paper I and Paper II

1. Length of the paper: GS1 (2011 vs 2012)

2. Length of the paper: GSM2 (2011 vs 2012)

15. Conclusion

16. Bogus marketing propaganda17. Future prediction

To download GS paper I and II of 2012, click me

To see the answerkeys for 1 marker, 2 marker and 5 marker questions click me

Difficulty

School Board exams in India, run with a mandate t o passout almost everyone, so that
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those students can serve as sacrif icial lambs for t he self-f inanced colleges. Therefore, either

the questions are damn too easy or while checking the papers, marks are given in very liberal

manner. (Particularly when it is the year of state or national election.)

But UPSC runs with a different mandate: eliminate almost everyone and maintain

reputation for being a badass Lord Curzon. So UPSC doesnot , cannot and shallnot frame

easy papers in the first place.

In MCQs, Even if the papers are allegedlyeasy, they are usually trap questions and there

is always the negative marking system which hugely affects the result.

Similarly, in mains, even if the papers are allegedly easy, still the evaluators dont show

mercy on people f illing up pages with average quality answers. Merely Filling up answersheets

doesnt translate into marks.

Anyways, Since diff iculty is a relative term, we have to compare 2012s paper with 2011s paper.

But f irst, Let us first create a scientific scale of difficulty.

Scale of difficulty

1. Based on source of question: the question can be either Static (from standard reference

books, Laxmikanth, Spectrum, Majid Hussain, Bipin Chandra, India 2012 Yearbook etc) or can

be Dynamic (from newspaper and magazines)

2. Based on wording of the question: it can be either factual or analytical.

Example Dif f iculty

StaticFactual 1. Write a not e on Salt Satyagraha of 1930 / Gandhi-Irwain

Pact etc.

2. What are the main difference between the passage of aConst itut ion Amendment Bill and other Legislat ive Bills?(2001)

Easy

StaticAnalytical 1. The Lucknow Pack of 1916 was signed without regard for

its consequences. Elucidate. (1993)

2. Essentially all that is contained in part IV-A of theConstitution is just a codificat ion of tasks integral to t heIndian way of life. Critically examine this stat ement. (2011)

Medium

D namic Medium


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Factual 1. What are the salient features of the Consumer Protection(Amendment) Bill, 2011 introduced in the Lok Sabha inDecember 2011? (2012)

2. List the main objectives of the National Manufacturing Policy(NMP), 2011.

3. All the Science and Tech 2 markers.

DynamicAnalytical 1. What do you understand by the term Innovation? Discuss

the need for launching a national innovation policy in India.(2012)

2. Discuss the globalizat ion of R&D and its impact on Indiasdevelopment. Provide an illustrat ion f rom at least one sectorsuch as Information Technology or Health. (2012)

Hard

Static factual are not easy as such, but theyre relatively the easiest among these four

type of questions. Because you can find verbat im answers in the standard reference books,

you just have to revise the books and during the exam just recall and reproduce the

knowledge in your answer sheet.

Dynamic-Analytical are toughest among the four because

you dont usually find the whole answer verbatim in any newspaper column or

magazine article.

In most cases, you need to follow the current af fairs and newspaper columns onregularly and the fodder material builds up over months.

In the exam hall, youve to brainsto rm for the ideas, assemble those fodder points in

proper order, connect t he dots and frame an answer.

Hence Dynamic Analytical question = your t ime is drained and brain is fatigued during

the exam.

Therefore even if only 20% of the questions are Dynamic-analytical, they signif icantly drain your

t ime and energy in the exam, and indirectly aff ect your perfo rmance, handwrit ing speed in theot her questions. And then the paper feels even more diff icult and lengthier.

Conspiracy theories

Two theories that Ive been hearing since last three years. They are cited t o explain pretty much

everything that happens or doesnt happen or is likely to happen in Civil Service Exam (including all

the rumor bombs).


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1. UPSC chairman wants to break the backs of coaching classes. (Actually no longer a

conspiracy, this one is a universally accepted truth.)

2. UPSC chairman hates senior players and prefers first t imers. (It is alleged that He said

something like that in an interview or press conference)

Personally, I have nothing against coaching classes except that they should not involve in false

advert isements (topper photos etc.), should keep their fees reasonable, and provide qualityeducation. And Ive got nothing against senior players either, for being one myself, I hold them in

high regard, respect, reverence and sympathy.

Anyways for a minute, forget about the diplomatic statements like UPSC has changed the pattern

to select candidates having right aptitude and qualities to become civil servent, and answer this

role-playing question:

Imagine that youre the UPSC chairman. How would you break the backs of

coaching classes and senior players?

Answer:

Overall, shift f rom stat ic to dynamic quest ions.

Where it is hard to frame dynamic questions (History fo r example), then move f rom Static

factual (freedom f ighter 2 markers) to Stat ic Analyt ical. [Same for Statist ics and Data

interpretation.]

Where it is hard to f rame static analytical (culture for example), then frame Static factual

questions which are usually not covered in Standard reference books / coaching material.

Thatd force them out of their comfort zone.

Completely stop asking from the conventional topics (History, Polity, Geography).

But just like soup and salad is mandatory for modern day wedding reception, even for

namesake youd need to paste a few questions f rom those topics just for formality.

(e.g. rights under Art 21).

Even in Dynamic Factual / Anlytical questions- donot ask anything from popular / hot

topics. For example Olympic 2012, NAM 2.0, Indo-Bangladesh exchange of territories, Syrian

crisis, etc.

And finally, Hire a fewACIOs on deputat ion, ask them to collect material from top-

coaching classes and make sure no question comes from it.

Now let us analyse the paper I and II of General Studies 2012, through this prism. Following Graph

will provide more food f or thought, once you read the whole analysis. (Click on the Image to
http://mrunal.org/2012/08/studyplan-acio.html


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Enlarge it)

History (Freedom Struggle)

2011 2012

Trace the salient sequence of events in thepopular revolt that took place in February 1946in the then, Royal Indian Navy and bring out itssignificance in the freedom struggle. Do youagree with the view that t he sailors who tookpart in this revolt were some of the unsungheroes of the freedom struggle?

20 The Indian independencemovement was a massbased movement thatencompassed varioussections of society. It alsounderwent the process ofconstant ideological

evolution? Criticallyexamine.

25

Evaluate the influence of the three importantwomens organizations of the early twentiethcentury in India on the Countrys society andpolit ics. To what extent do you t hink were thesocial objectives of these organizationsconstrained by their political objectives?

20 The signif icance of Patharughat in the Indianfreedom struggle

2


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Benoy-Badal-Dinesh martyrdom 5

Bharat Naujawan Sabha 5

Babbar Akali movement. 5

total 55 27

Comment

1. Majority of the History questions =Static Analyt ical. (25 marks)

2. According to UPSCs of f icial syllabus, the Histo ry Is made up of two topics: Freedom

Struggle + Indian Culture. So, While it appears that the importance of History has declined

from 55 to 27 marks but overall History+Culture in 2011s paper =63 marks. And In 2012s

paper History+Culture= worth 64 marks.

3. Therefore only the composit ion has changed- more emphasis on Culture port ion, otherwise

weightage given to the whole topic History of Modern India and Indian Cultureis almost the

same.

4. History unlikely to f all below this level in GS paper- for soup and salad formality. (20 marks) or

it might just vanish from the paper like Indian Geography did this year. (youll see it after a few

paragraphs)

5. I think UPSC has exhausted the static question bank on Indian History (freedom struggle).Therefor very unlikely that static/direct/factual questions will appear in future e.g. Discuss

the character of major tribal uprisings in British India in the nineteenth Century.

6. However there was an essay on Swadhinata, Swaraj and Dharmarajya in 2012s paper

(Worth 200 marks). So history cont inues to remain indirectly important.

7. No quotes based question (unlike the nightmarish paper of 2009).

8. In 2012s paper Persons in News were worth 1 mark each. So even in future, if f reedom

fighters are asked, may be it d be 1 mark each. One has to seriously think about cost-benefit

ratio of mugging up 150+ f reedom f ighers now.

9. Bipin Chandra still a good read for stat ic analytical topics. But Spectrums books= lost the

signif icance, particularly its freedom f ighters book (Gandhi, Nehru, Tagore.).

10. Patharughat was in news in 2011 for Army had opened some shrine/ museum there.

Culture


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2011 2012

Distinguish either between the Moatsu andYemshe festivals of Nagaland or t he Losarand Khan festivals of Arunachal Pradesh.

5 The f lute-playing Krishnatheme is very popular inIndian art . Discuss.

15

What are the major diff erent styles of

unglazed pottery making in India?

5 Comment on the

signif icance of Rasarnava instudying the history of IndianChemistry.

5

List t he classical dance forms of India as perthe Sangeet Natak Akademi.

5 What are t he groups int owhich musical instruments inIndia have traditionally beenclassified?

5

Bhand Pather 1 Comment on thesignif icance of f ire inZoroastrianism.

5

Swang 1 Why is Laurie Baker calledthe conscience keeper ofIndian architecture?

5

Maach 1 Bagurumba folk dance 2

Bhaona 1

Mudiyettu 1

Dashavatar 1

Total 21 37

Comments

Star of culture is on rise (as expected from 2011s paper), but St ill looking for reliable book

or source.

Classification of musical instrument is given in the appendix of Spectrum Book on Culture.

Flute playing Krishas answer is scattered around, in the same book: Ragmala paint ings

from Mewar school, Kisengarh painting, Thanjavur etc.etc. but still framing recalling and


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f raming 150 words answer for specif ically Flute Playing Krishan, is kinda diff icult .

Another problem: even if there is a reliable book, how on earth can one mugup all the folk

dances of India?

Anyways more on the source part later art icles.

By the way, Im copy pasting an interest ing post from orkut here:

Shriharsha Nett ar wrote,

I had observed that for last 3 years, the questions on culture had been asked from this

Link: http://www.ccrtindia.gov.in/performingarts.htm.

So, This time i prepared for culture ONLY from this section, that have not been asked

in last 3 years..Puppet art and musical instruments

Musical instrument question had come this year So my guess for Next year, puppetarts.. Go through these :-)

Polity

2011 2012

Essentially all that is contained in part IV-A

of the Constitut ion is just a codif ication oftasks integral to the Indian way of life.Critically examine this statement.

20 What is the Parivarik Mahila

Lok Adalat?

5

The exercise of executive clemency is nota privilege but is based on several principles,and discretion has to be exercised in publicconsiderations. Analyse this statements inthe context of the judicial powers of thePresident o f India.

20 What are the Rights withinthe ambit of Article 21 of theIndian Constitution?

5

Evolution of Green Benches in our higherjudiciary.

12 Comment on the signif icanceof the Preamble contained inthe Right t o Information Act.

5

Distinct ion between Department RelatedParliamentary Standing Committees andParliamentary Forums.

12 Determining the valueassigned to the vote of aMember of a State Legislat iveAssembly and of a Memberof Parliament in the Indian

2
http://www.ccrtindia.gov.in/performingarts.htm


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Presidential elections.

Problems specific to t he denotified andnomadic tribes in India.

12 The Union Cabinet recent lycleared the proposal torename and amend the ChildLabour (Prohibition andRegulat ion) Act , 1986. Whatare the salient f eatures ofthe proposed amendments?

15

E-governance initiat ives by the Union PublicService Commission (UPSC).

5 What are t he salient featuresof the Consumer Protection(Amendment) Bill, 2011introduced in the Lok Sabhain December 2011?

15

The Bihar Special Courts Act , 2009 and why

it has been in the news recently?

5

Bring out the salient features of thePCPNDT Act , 1994, and the implications ofits amendment in 2003.

20

total 106 47

2011= Polity is worth 106 marks. (Although debatable, some would put UPSC e-governance in[Yearbook] category.)

2012= Total 47 marks worth polity.

Look at the complete reversal of fortune, declined by around 50%! (Same is the case with Persons

in News- f rom 14 to 7).

Many hot polity t opics that UPSC consciously did not ask.

1. Analytical question on judiciary vs Execut ive (just like 2011 had executive clemency)

2. Analytical question on CAG vs Execut ive (in the light of all scams)

3. 12 or 15 marker question on Presidential election.

4. PIL (because of Just ice Kapadias approach to them).

Although ^t hese are dynamic analytical, but had become way too hot topics in the temple of

dooms (Delhis factories).


10/30

Comments on Polity

1. CSAT 2012 had good amount of questions from Polity, so your prof iciency on polity was

already tested. May be UPSC didnt see any point in again asking truckload of questions from

polity further in mains. Besides Static polity = helps coaching factories and muggers.

2. DD Basus era is officiallyover, unless they move to Stat ic Analytical type of question f rom

polity next year.3. At least 7 marks (Art 21 and Value of MP-MLAs votes) worth quest ions are no-excuse.

Hence Laxmikanth continues to remain a good read.

4. You should keep an eye on this website http://www.prsindia.org/ it provides information on al

the pending bills and upcoming bills and their pros and cons.

Yearbook

2011 2012

Critically examine the design of theNational Rural Livelihoods Mission(NRLM) scheme. Do you think it has abetter chance of success than theSwarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana(SGSY) in achieving its objectives?

20 Critically review the internationalconcern in achieving the targetsset for t he MillenniumDevelopment Goals. (GS II)

15

Highlight the structure, objectives androle of the Advert ising StandardsCouncil of India, In what way has theAugust 2006 government not ificat ionmade it more effective?

20 What do you understand by theterm Innovation? Discuss theneed for launching a nationalinnovat ion policy in India.

25

Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitat ionScheme (DDRS).

12 Keeping in view the informalsectors share in the totalworkforce of the country, criticallyexamine the relevant inclusive

measures initiated by theGovernment of India and theireffectiveness.

25

Benefits and potential drawbacks ofcash-transfers to Below Poverty Line(BPL) households.

12 List the main objectives of theNational Manufacturing Policy(NMP), 2011.

5

Composit ion and funct ions of theNational Executive Comittee of the

5 To implement one keyrecommendation of the Mohini Giri

5
http://www.prsindia.org/


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National Disaster ManagementAuthority.

Committ ee, the Government hasrecently announced theconstitut ion of a National Council.Highlight the composition and themandate of this National Council.

The Telecommunications Ministrysproposed Spectrum ManagementCommission.

5 Comment on the recent launchingof the National Mission on Libraries(NML).

5

The Community-Led Total Sanitation(CLTS) approach to sanitation.

5

79 80

Note:

1. SPOT-6, IRSO quest ion was in Paper I, technically under Yearbook, but I have counted it in

Science and Tech.

2. Similarly, the Millennium Development goal was from paper II under IR, but Ive counted it

under Science and Tech.

3. Planning Commissions chapter on Health, Drug Resistant TB etc. although can be classified

as Yearbook, but Ive put them under Public Health.

Comments on yearbook

As everyone expected, the [Yearbook] cont inues to be an important topic. But There is

another significant Development. In 2011, most [yearbook] questions are factual type. (list

major recommendations, salient feature etc.etc.)

But atleast 40 marks of [Yearbook] in 2012s paper = from Dynamic Analytical part.

(innovation, informal secto r)

Sources for future preparation:

1. India Yearbook.

2. Newspaper columns (particularly for the dynamic analytical type)

3. Yojana + Kurukshetra Magazines. (can be downloaded for free, using their official

websites)

4. Digging through Official websites of various ministries.

5. Planning Commissions draft paper. (contains chapter on Both health and innovation,

+ plenty of fodder material for informal sector etc.)


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6. Press releases f rom www.Pib.nic.in

7. + ^Notes making and regular revision

And, one should prepare with an open mind ready for surprizes. Because UPSCs pendulum

can swing in either direction. (like it did in Polity f rom 106 to bare 47 marks). So It d again be a

grave mistake to put all eggs in just Yearbook, Culture and Science-Tech baskets.

Public Health

Of f icial Syllabus of UPSC for General Studies Mains Paper I:

4. (iv) Health issues including the management of Public Health, Health educat ion and ethical

concerns regarding health-care,medical research and pharmaceuticals.

2011 2012

The f irst-aid thatyou can safelyadminister to aperson standingnext to you at t hebus-stop whosuddenly faints.

5 You are stationed in a small district t own in the plains ofNorthern India, The summer has been severe. Suddenly,a colleague, who had been out since morning, returns tothe of f ice complaining of headache, restlessness andconf usion. Shortly, he becomes unconscious. His bodytemperature is 40C. What f irst aid steps would you taketo revive him?

5

Molecular Breast

Imaging (MBI)technology.

5 The Human Papilloma Virus vaccine has been making

the headlines in the recent months. Who make the idealcandidates for receiving this vaccine and what are itsbenefits?

5

Omega-3 fat tyacids in our food

5 Many food items contain trans fats. What do youunderstand by this term? Which Indian food itemscontain trans fats? What are the implications of transfats on human health?

15

Discuss theextent , causes,and implicationsof the nutrit iontransition said tobe underway inIndia.

20 There is an urgent need fo r the Planning Commission torevise the chapter on health in the 12th Plan document.Comment.

15

New initiativesduring the 11thFive Year Plan in

12 What do you understand by the term Multi-DrugResistant Tuberculosis {MDR-TB)? What measureswould ou advocate for its containment and what are

15


13/30

the NationalProgramme forControl ofBlindness (NPCB).

the implications of its spread in the community?

Despite st rict prohibitory regulations, doping hasbecome increasingly common amongst athletes. Namefive commonly used performance- enhancing drugs.What are the risks associated with their use?

10

In the context of Assisted Reproductive Technologies,India has emerged as a hub of commercial surrogacy.What key biological, legal and ethical issues meritconsideration while framing the regulation to governsurrogacy in India?

10

47 75

Note: Ive counted HPV, Surrogacy and Doping quest ion f rom Paper II under health.

Although you can put them under [Science-Tech] as well.

Future source of preparation: more or less the same like [Yearbook]+ science tech.

Doping question due to Olympic games. [I was expect ing an F1 f lag-ish question from any

Olympic game though!]

It seems UPSC has made it mandatory to ask one role playing question on f irst-aid

treatment.

There ought to be some pdf on egyankosh, list ing all the first aid treatments. And it

wouldnt hurt preparing it. (besides that knowledge might help in real life as well.)

I think the issue of drug price control (the Novartis patent, SC judgement, Pranab Sen Task

force reports etc) gains signif icance fo r next mains. But then again if this topic becomes too

hot in the Coaching factories of Delhi, then UPSC may not ask it in 2013!

Environment (NOT Geography!)

Geography and Environment are closely interlinked. Let us discuss both together.

UPSCs official syllabus for GS1

3. Geography of India : In this part , questions will be on the physical, economic and social

geography of India.

4. (iv) Environmental issues, ecological preservat ion, conservation of natural resources and

national heritage.


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Year 2011: There is only one single question from Geography: The significance of counter-

urbanization in the improvement of metropolitan cities in India. (12 marks)

Year 2012: Dushtu lokGeography vanished.

Not a single question on geography. This is sacrilegious, this is blasphemy but t hen again, this is

UPSC.

And the vaccum is f illed up by Environment and biodiversity. (And similar thing also happened in

CSAT GS Paper).

2011 2012

The impact ofclimate

change onwaterresources inIndia.

12 GSI

Explain the concepts EnvironmentalSustainability and Sustainable

Development of People.

5 GSII

Phase-IV ofthe tigermonitoringprogramme inIndia.

5 GSI

Explain briefly the Clean DevelopmentMechanism as provided under the UnitedNations Framework Convention on ClimateChange (UNFCCC).

5 GSII

Thediminishingpopulation ofvultures

5 GSII

What is Permaculture? Give at least threecommon examples where permacultureconcepts are being put to use.

10 GSII

Billion Acts ofGreen

2 GSII

Given the accelerated pace of developmentand demand for energy, would you considerrenewable energy as a viable option forIndias future?

15 GSI

Analyse crit ically the interlinkages betweenthe Convention on Biological Diversity andFAO Treaty on Plant Genetic Resourcesfor Food and Agriculture.

15 GSII

Examine the causes and the extent ofdesertification in India and suggestremedial measures.

25 GSI


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In the context of the growing demands forthe ban of Endosulfan in the country,crit ically examine t he issues involved. What,in your view, should be done in the matter?

25 GSI

The issue of tourism in core areas of t iger

reserve forests in the country is a subjectmatter of debate. Critically examine variousaspects of this issue, keeping in viewrelevant recent judicial pronouncements.

25 GS

I

Total 24 125

Note: For Environment topic, Ive count ed the questions f rom Paper II here as well. (CDM,

FAO etc)

But just like Yearbook, here also many questions are from dynamic-analytical portion.

It seems Vulture is the most important creature in India. From GS Mains Paper II (2011),

CSAT 2012, APFC-2012, this vulture topic is gett ing repeated t oo much, even Saas

Bahu serials have less clichs.

RIO+20 was too hot topic here. But no direct question, because Temple of Dooms blew it

out proportion.

Future Source of Preparation [Environment]

1. NCERT+ NOS material for basics (CSAT).

2. India Yearbook (for Government schemes)

3. Of f icial websites of MoEF, UNFCC etc.

4. Newspaper columns, magazines.

[PIN] Persons in News

2011 2012

Lieutenant Navdeep Singh 2 P.V. Sindhu 1

Rahim Fahimuddin Dagar 2 Aditya Kumar Mandi 1

Lobsang Sangay 2 Cyrus Mistry 1
http://mrunal.org/2012/05/nos-studymaterial.html


16/30

P.R. Sreejesh 2 Ashoke Sen 1

Nileema Mishra 2 Mario de Miranda 1

V. Tejeswini Bai 2 Issues highlighted through the work of Palagumrni Sainath

2

Aishwarya Narkar 2

F1 Flags (GS2) 12

News Internationalnewspaper (GS2)

2

Mustafa Abdul-Jalil 2

Abel Kirui (GS2) 2

Natalie Portman (GS2) 2

Nawaf Salam (GS2) 2

Total 36 7

I classify all the t rivial GK under [PIN], so F1 race flags and News Internat ional newspaper

also included here.

So, Importance of [PIN] has Declined by almost 80%! Besides if you consider the

cost :benefit ratio (of mugging up 150 persons in news vs recalling them in actual exam for

petty 7 marks) then the whole scene looks like a sick and cruel joke played by UPSC.

In GSM2011, there were PIN in both Paper I and II, but In GSM2012, only Paper I had PIN

question.

but, every mark counts in the merit list. Besides, Sainath, Cyrus Mistry and Mario Miranda

were no-excuse. So doesnt hurt keeping a cursory eye on t hem.

Diplomacy

2011 2012


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Measures taken by the Indiangovernment to combat privacy inthe Indian Ocean.

12 What is meant by the G8+5 group? 5

List the Central Asian Republicsand identify those of particular

strategic and economicimportance to India. Examine theopportunities and bot t lenecks inenhancing relations with thesecountries.

20 What are Indias stakes in the SouthChina Sea?

5

Critically examine the security andstrategic implications of the so-called string of pearls theory fo rIndia.

20 Compare the significance of IBSA andBRICS in the context of Indiasmult ilateral diplomacy.

10

Compared to t he South AsianFree Trade Area (SAFTA), the Bayof Bengal Initiative forMultisectoral Technical andEconomic Cooperation Free TradeArea (BIMSTEC FTA) seems to bemore promising. Crit icallyevaluate.

20

Subsequent to the NuclearSuppliers Group (NSG) waiver in2008, what are the agreements onnuclear energy that India hassigned with diff erent countries?

12 How have the US sanctions againstIran affected Indias bilateral relationswith Iran?

10

Trace the progress of Indiasefforts for a joint counter-terrorism strategy with China.What are the likely implications of

the recent Xinjiang violence onthese efforts?

12 Write a short analytical note on IndianDiaspora. How is the New Diasporadifferent from the Old Diaspora?

15

Bring out the importance of theSmall and Medium EnterprisesExpo and Conference held inDubai last year for Indian business.

12 Does Putins return as President ofRussia mark a shif t to aconfrontationist stance ininternational diplomacy towards theWest?

15

What are the salient features of 12 Do ou think that Chinas emer ence 25


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the political and economicrelationship between India andSouth Africa?

as one of the largest t rading partnersof India had adversely affected thesett lement o f the outstanding borderproblem?

The causes and implications ofthe Jasmine Revolution and itsspread are as much economic innature as they are political.Critically evaluate.

20 Discuss the contentious issues thathave caused the prolongedconst itut ional logjam in Nepal.

25

Success of internationalintervention in Cote dIvoire (IvoryCoast)

5 The situat ion today is far dif ferentto t hat prevalent f ift y years backwhen the Indus Water Treaty wassigned. Highlight the complexity o fthe current challenges on both sidesof the border in this regard. Do youthink that a review of the Treaty is in

Indias best interests?

25

Strategies adopted by Colombiato eliminates its drug cartels

5

World Food Programme (WFP) ofthe United Nations (UN)

5

Sculpture of the broken chair infront of the UN building at Geneva 5

As regards the increasing rates ofmelt ing of Arctic Sea ice, theinterests of the Arctic Councilnations may not coincide withthose of the wider world. Explain.

12

Is there st ill a role for the concept

of balance of power incontemporary internationalpolit ics? Discuss.

12

Strategic interests seem to bereplacing commercial interests forthe host country with regard toCam Ranh Bay. Amplify.

12


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To what extent has thewithdrawal of al-Shabab fromMogadishu given peace a realchance in Somalia? Assess.

12

total 208 135

Note: International relation looks declined because Ive moved some questions to

biodiversity and economy topics. Otherwise this one is still an important subject.

The phrase old and new Indian diaspora is mentioned on Ministry of Overseas aff airs

website

Indus Water treaty was in news because of Nimoo Bazgo hydel project + Kishanganga

hydel project.

US-Iran-India was in news throughout last two years.

Nepals internal trouble had been a hot topic over last 3-4 years. Finally UPSC has not iced.

No quest ion on Indo-Bangladesh, Syria, Libya, South Sudan, Kof i Anna, India @UNSC etc.

despite being hot topics.

Economy

1. Paper I syllabus (i) The Indian economy and issues relating to planning, mobilizat ion of

resources, growth, development and employment

2. Paper II Syllabus Indias Economic Interaction with the World :In this part, questions will be on

economic and trade issues such as foreign trade, foreign investment; economic and diplo-

macy issues relat ing to oil, gas and energy flows; the role and functions of I.M.F., World Bank,

W.T.O., WIPO etc. which inf luence Indias economic interact ion with ot her count ries and

international institutions

Anyways, candidates dont prepare Economy in segments. Because Indian and World economy are

closly interlinked in current af fairs. So Ive combined both papers here.

2011 2012

Functions of the World CustomsOrganization. (WCO)

5 GSII

Why is internat ionaltrade perceived to havefailed to act as anengine of growth inmany developingcount ries includingIndia?

10 GSII


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Salient recommendations of theRBI-appointed Damodarancommittee on customer service inBanks.

12 GSI

Domestic resourcemobilization, thoughcentral to the processof Indian economicgrowth, ischaracterized byseveral constraints?

Explain.

15 GSI

Why the Central Stat ist ics Off icehas not ified a new series ofConsumer Price Index f rom thisyear?

5 GSI

Why have the resourcerich African and SouthAsian countriesremained poor fordecades? Explain.

15 GSII

In the context of the Euro-zonedebt crisis, examine the proposed

six-pack solution. Do you thinkthat t his has a better chance ofsuccess than the earlier Stabilityand Growth Pact?

20 GSII

Discuss the likelynegative impact of the

protectionist measuresproposed by the US onIndias sof twareindustry.

15 GSII

Discuss theglobalization of R&Dand its impact onIndias development.Provide an illustration

from at least onesector such asInformationTechnology or Health.

25 GSII

42 80

As expected, star of [Economy] is on rise. Almost 100% increase over last year.

But most of the questions are ofdynamic-analyticalnature therefore one should keep aneye on newspaper columns + some decent f odder material on egyankosh as well (selective

pdfs from BA MA Economics)

Science Tech

2011 2012

Nisarga-Runa technology 5 The safe landing of the Curiosit y Rover under 10


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of BARC. NASAs space programme has sparked manypossibilit ies. What are those and how couldhumankind benefit f rom them?

The Kaveri K-10 aero-engine.

5 Significance of the SPOT-6 rocket launch forISRO(GS1)

2

International Year ofChemistry

5 The Sequoia supercomputer was launched thisyear. What are its specif ic features and what isits purpose?

5

The scourge of e-waste 5 The human populat ion is slated to grow to 9billion by 2050. In this context, many scient istspredict that plant genomics would play a criticalrule in keeping out hunger and preserving theenvironment. Explain.

25

Designer poultry eggs 5

INSPIRE programme ofthe Department ofScience and Technology

5

The Kessler syndromewith reference to spacedebris

5

Dif ference between spin-dyring and tumble-dryingtechnology with referenceto drying of washedclothes

5

Arensic-bug and thesignif icance of its

discovery

5

F-22 Raptor aircraft 5

Concentrated solarenergy and photovoltaicsolar energy

5

Analog, hybrid and IP 5


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systems in CCTVtechnology

Various applications ofKevlar

5

Dif ferences between

Compact Disc (CD), DigitalVersatile Disc (DVD) andBlu-ray Disc

5

Tiangong-1 2

K-computer 2

Gliese 581g 2

MABLE robot 2

Operat ion Shady Rat 2

SAGA-220 2

LAquila earthquake 2

OPERA detecter at GranSasso

2

Saturns Titan 2

88 42

Dont be astonished by 50% decline in Science-Tech. Because the weightage has been

shifted to Public Health and Biodiversity topic (after all MDR TB, Trans-Fats, HPV etc are

ultimately science tech) So, overall science-tech continues to be an important topic.

Last year, the ent ire science-tech was 2 marker and 5 marker. So all you needed was to

memorize 3-4 keywords on each term. But this time, two questions (NASA, Plant genome)

are of 10 & 25 marks respect ively that means youd need content worth minimum 100 words

So t he shif t is towards more descriptive questions.


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Future Approach : same as earlier: Newspaper, Magazine, but going into the details of

pros/cons/features as well, rather than just making not es only for 2 marker/5 marker type of

questions.

Statistics and Data Interpretation

2011 2012

tabulat ion 5 milk avg 2

ogive graph 5 height 3

missing freq 4 bengal populat ion 6

tubelight freq 4 outsourcing 7

avg speed of car 4 income distribut ion 8

defect ive mean 4 scatter plot 9

graph student walk 6

shares average 4

total 36 35

The weightage given to Stat, is almost the same like last year. The only diff erence is

variety of question.

This time more analytical questions, involving lengthier calculations.

+ this t ime you had to draw three graphs (scatter plot , Bengal population and more thanogive).

So overall, both length and diff iculty level of stat port ion =increased. But then again if

everything was easy and conventional, then itd have helped the archenemies of UPSC.

Future approach : same as usual NCERT+ Spectrum + old quest ion papers, but with more

pract ice @home + egyankosh might have something on t his new type of graphs. (or prepare

all the graphs provided under Microsoft Excel 2007 or 2010)


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Topicwise Breakup for Paper I and Paper II

Topic 2011 2012

History 55 27

Culture 21 37

Polity 106 47

Yearbook 79 80

Health 47 75

Geography 12 0

Environment 24 125

Persons 36 7

Diplomacy 208 135

Economy 42 80

Sci-Tech 88 42

Stat 36 35

Total 754 690

Notes

1. Tot al will not be 600 because there are opt ions. But you can clearly see that in 2011, UPSC

of fered more options (754-600=154 marks) while in 2012, only 90 marks worth opt ions.

2. Here is the same graph again. Not ice that in the Year 2011, the height of Blue bars have

extreme range (e.g. Geography is 12, Diplomacy is 208). But in 2012 the height of red bars

have less range. That means the weight is distributed in a more balanced fashion (not tot ally


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balanced, but yet more inclusive distribution than 2011).

Click on the images to enlarge them

Length of the paper: GS1 (2011 vs 2012)

No. of Qs Marks per Q. Total Words Total Marks


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Words 2011 2012 2011 2012 2011 2012 2011 2012

250 5 5 20 25 1250 1250 100 125

150 8 7 12 15 1200 1050 96 105

50 18 11 5 5 900 550 90 55

20 7 5 2 2 140 100 14 10

10 0 5 0 1 0 50 0 5

total 38 33 3490 3000 300 300

^This boring and complicated table says that

1. In 2011, to write 300 marks worth questions, you had to write almost 3500 words. While in

2012, only 3000. So theoretically, 2012s paper was shorter than last year. But we are missing

another important f act, that is hidden in the same table.

2. Big questions (10,15,20,25 marker types) consume lot of t ime in brain storming and framing

the answer in mind, especially when theyre of analytical type. And we already saw that

majority of the big questions in History, Public Health, Yearbook and environment were of

Dynamic-analytical nature. So obviously It would take more time.

1. In 2011, only 65% of the paper is made up of big questions. How did I come up with this

number? Marks of 15 and 25 marker questions = (100+96)/300=65%

2. But in 2012, 77% of the paper is made up of big questions. (125+105)/300=77%.

Therefore, GS paper of 2012 is lengthier than last year, because more than 3/4 th of the paper is

made up of big questions.

Length of the paper: GSM2 (2011 vs 2012)

No. of Qs Marks per Q. Total Words Total Marks

Words 2011 2012 2011 2012 2011 2012 2011 2012

250 3 4 20 25 750 750 60 100


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150 7 5 12 15 1050 1050 84 75

50 18 6 5 10 900 900 90 60

20 15 6 2 5 300 300 30 30

stat 8 6 not uniform depends 36 35

total 51 27 3000 3000 300 300

Using the same approach : big questions = brainstorming = more t ime consumed.

2011s paper : (60+84)/300= 48% of the paper has big questions. (12 marker and 20

marker)

2012s paper: (60+75+100)/300=78% of the paper has big questions (10,15,25 markers)

Secondly, the Stat port ion of 2011, had (I think) only 2 graphs + relatively conventional

calculations.

While Stat port ion of 2012, had 3 graphs + lengthier calculations + unconventional

questions.

Therefore GS paper II of 2012 is damn too lengthy compared any ot her paper.

ConclusionThis is my personal opinions. (and as usual) I am not going to debate over them.

1. Your command over stat ic port ion has already been tested in CSAT 2012 (It had very few

questions based on current af fairs) so, there was no point in framing the GS mains paper

having similar static structure.

2. Standard reference books continue to be important , fo r the above cited reason (prelims). But

at the same time, their significance has declined for the Mains examination, unless theyre

providing fodder material for analytical quest ions.

3. UPSC will cont inue its Back-breaking moveTM against coaching classes and senior players.

Therefore, static-factual types of questions are unlikely to appear in future, and even if they

appear in future, it ll be done only for namesake soup and salad formality worth 5-10 marks.

4. The era of History+Polity+Geography is over. Another reason could be that UPSC did it t o

provide level playing ground to the candidates with non-history,geo,Public

Administration,polit ical science opt ionals.
http://mrunal.org/2012/05/analysis-csat-paper-i-general-studies.html#879


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5. The new superstars in this Bollywood = Yearbook + Science Tech + Environment +

Internat ional Relations. (Public health automatically covered under Yearbook +science tech)

6. The papers were inclusive in nature. Because if you compare the paper with the of f icial

syllabus of UPSC, then for GS1, there were questions f rom almost every topic except Law

enforcement and community harmony. Similarly, for GS2, questions on almost everything

topic of the syllabus except nuclear policy (actually Nuclear policy is also indirectly attached

with US-Iran-India relation).

7. At least t he questions do not seem to be falling from sky (unlike those F1 flags of 2011).

8. GS Mains papers are already notorious for being lengthy. But 2012 has new heights, just like

A.Raja. So, Let the length of this paper be a reminder to those people who donot maintain

notes. Notes making assumes unprecedented significance, in the light of these papers

because

1. Notes making improves handwrit ing speed.

2. Notes making helps in quick-revision and recalling, provides fodder material forDynamic-analytical type of questions.

3. Notes making creates positive vibes in the study room. (else if you just keep stacking

newspapers then their size and volume + the dust gathered on them, will create

negative vibes). So ideally, you should cut-down, make notes out of newspapers,

Yojana Kurukshetra etc and then throw t hem in the store room (or even better just sell

them to Raddi-walla).

9. Some candidates prefer to wait for the omniscient coaching factories of Delhi, to release the

special material on current affairs. Now consider this: such material starts flooding only 1

month before the exam (they deliberately delay the release to prevent UPSC from spying on

it) So, In such a short t ime you cannot possible mugup everything given in such material, even

if it was worth 150 marks! (unless you just throw away your opt ional subjects books).

Besides it is easier to read, remember 5 things per day than trying to mugup 500 terms

overnight. Therefore current affairs is a home work youre supposed to do every day rather

than wait for someone else to come up with readymade digestfor you.

10. Competitive exams are meant for men and women without guilt. So instead of feeling guilty

about whatever you have done or not done so f ar (failure in previous attempts, coaching no

coaching, job no job etc) just change the study-approach and keep moving forward.

11. You can either respect, fear, resent or hate the UPSC. But you must not let this mood of

cynicism and pessimism surround you. Despite whatever Back-Breaking MoveTM UPSC

employs, every year in the final merit list, youll see toppers with coaching, youll see toppers

without coaching, toppers on f irst t imers, toppers with more than one attempt, toppers who

cracked it after leaving job, toppers who cracked it without leaving job and so on.

Therefore, if oure destined to be a to er, oull be a to er. All that is in our hands, is


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hard work in right direction ,rather than badmouthing and resenting the facto rs that are

outside your control- including Indias humiliating defeats in cricket.

12. Many of these questions can be solved through Indian express as well- be it t ransfats,

endosulphan, tiger reserve or consumer protection act. So those unable to access The Hindu

on day to day basis, need not feel excessively guilty about it.

Bogus marketing propaganda

In MS Word, this art icle has 20 pages and almost 7000 words. If I just cont inue this act ivity

for a few more years, compile a thesis and bribe the right people in G***** university, I can

easily get a Ph.D. (Task added in Gmail calendar).

Now time for the most important thing- bogus marketing and brainwashing. After the

prelims/mains are over, The prominent magazines and factories of Delhi come up with

stupid stupendous claims that more than 500 marks worth questions were from our study

material and mock tests.

So, Im going to use their dubious accounting method i.e. even if a word was merely

mentioned or hinted in any of my art icle and the same appeared in UPSC question paper,

then it shall be calculated as UPSC asked it from my site, alright? Even if the article contains

barely 2 marks worth informat ion and UPSC asked it for 20 marks then also full marks will be

credited. Because that the accounting method of Delhi!

So now let us check how much of the GS was from Mrunal.org

Future prediction

Year Quest ion on Tagore in GS Mains Paper I Marks

1992 Discuss Tagores concept on educat ion. How f ar was it adeparture from conventional system of education?

10

1993 Explain Rabindranath Tagores Plan of village reconstruct ion. 10

1994 Why did Tagore emphasize on t he primacy of the social over the political order?

15

1995 How far was Gurudev Rabindranat h t agores concept of religion wedded to his love of nature?

10

1996 Tagores emphasis on int ernat ionalism and humanism wasahead of his t imes.

10


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1998 Examine the ideas of Rabindranath Tagore on democracy. 10

1999 Tagores poetry is a writ ten record of his religiousexperience. Elucidate.

10

2000,2001,2002,..all theway upto 2012

Period of drought for Tagore quest ions.

You can be dead sure that almost every one who appeared in 2000s exam, would have done Ph.D

on Tagore, his life, ideas and poet ry.

And after the exam was over, theyd have given truckload of galliyaa (cursing) to UPSC.

So, when it comes to UPSC, dont take everything for granted.

October 15th, 2012 | Category:analysis
http://mrunal.org/category/analysis

mrunal.org-analysis general studies mains 2012 paper 1 amp 2012

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