Insights – 21/11/2013
GENERAL STUDIES
PAPER – II
INSTRUCTIONS
Time Allowed: Three Hours Maximum Marks: 250
- Each question is printed in English.
- Answers must be written in the medium specified in the Admission Certificate issued to you, which must be stated clearly on the cover of the Question – cum – Answer sheet in the space provided for the purpose.
- No marks will be given for answers written in a medium other than that specified in the Admission Certificate
- Candidates should attempt all the questions strictly in accordance with the instructions given under each section
- The number of marks carried by each question is indicated at the end of each question
- Candidates should write their answers within the pre-defined space provided below each part/sub-part of a question
- There will be penalty for writing outside the space provided for the purpose
- Answers written outside the pre-defined space will not be evaluated
- You are provided a separate Questions Paper in the end to take home for reference purpose.
1) Answer the following questions in about 250 words each: 25X3 = 75
a) What major challenges did India face soon after Independence? Do you think India has successfully overcome those challenges? Critically analyze.
b) “The basic strategic perspective of the national movement was to wage a long-drawn out hegemonic struggle, or, in Gramscian terms, a war of position.” Analyze.
c) “The process of African decolonization from the 1950s to the 1970s turned what were relatively well-ordered and peaceful territories administered by the efficient bureaucracies and legal traditions of the Western European empires into violent, inefficient and corrupt socialist dictatorships.” Do you agree with this criticism? Substantiate.
2) Answer the following questions in about 150 words each: 15X5= 75
a) Explain the rise of militarism in Japan during 1930’s. What were its consequences on world peace?
b) “The relationship of the peasant movement with the national movement continued to be one of a vital and integral nature.” Examine.
c) What is globalization? Is it simply a market strategy adopted by multinational companies or is genuine cultural synthesis taking place? Discuss.
d) What was the plight of women during the partition? How did Indian and Pakistani governments respond to them? Critically examine.
e) “The Bhakti cult cut across distinctions of high and low birth, the learned and unlettered, and opened the gateway of spiritual realization to one and all.” Elaborate the statement with examples.
3) Answer the following in about 100 words each:10X7=70
a) “The Mricchakatika (the clay-cart) by Sudraka (248 A.D.) presents a remarkable social drama with touches of grim reality.” Explain
b) Write a note on the role of AIDWA in women empowerment.
c) Groundwater in India is a critical resource. However, an increasing number of aquifers are reaching unsustainable levels of exploitation. Explain why? Suggest measure to effectively save and recharge groundwater
d) Do you think kinship system in contemporary India has undergone drastic changes? Substantiate.
e) “The power of ancient bhakti poetry in Tamil set in motion what might well be considered a pan-Indian efflorescence.” Elucidate.
f) Write a note on the geographical impediments in the development of inland waterways in India
g) Contributions of Kankalata Barua and Pritilata Waddedar to Freedom Struggle
4) Comment on each of the following in about 50 words each: 5X4=20
a) Dara Shukoh and Mughal Literature
b) Pacific Ring Of Fire
c) Luddite Movement
d) Satara Prati Sarkar
5) Comment on each of the following in about 20 words each: 2X5=10
a) Gavrilo Princip
b) Veerangna Bhimabai
c) Bhavai Dance
d) Cyclone Eye
e) SEWA
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