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General Studies – 1
Topic: Oceanography
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: DTE
Why the question:
Climate change has killed billions of corals and fundamentally changed coral reefs. The response, especially in Australia, has been to fix the symptoms, not address the cause — climate change for which humans are responsible.
Key Demand of the question:
To evaluate the effectiveness of scientific interventions in coral restoration and identify the challenges these methods face in ensuring long-term resilience of coral reef ecosystems.
Structure of the Answer:
Introduction:
Briefly introduce coral reefs and their ecological importance.
Body:
- Firstly, mention effectiveness of Scientific Interventions in Coral Restoration – Coral Gardening and Nurseries, Coral Translocation, creating artificial structures, using selectively bred or genetically modified corals to enhance resilience. Do provide examples.
- In second part, discuss the challenges facing Scientific Interventions – environmental stressor like climate change, pollution and overfishing, restoration efforts may lack genetic diversity, high costs and limited resources.
- Briefly suggest way forward.
Conclusion:
Conclude by emphasizing the need for a multifaceted approach that combines scientific interventions with broader conservation strategies, climate action, and community engagement to ensure the long-term ecological resilience of coral reefs.
Topic: Social empowerment; Role of women and women’s organization.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: The Hindu
Why the question:
The article emphasizes the importance of addressing gender stereotypes and discusses if more women were to take up science, research, and innovation, then it is necessary for young girls to have equal opportunities in school and support from the family and society.
Key Demand of the question:
To examine the role of gender stereotyping in shaping young girls’ self-perception and career choices in science and technology fields, and to analyze how these stereotypes affect their participation and advancement in these areas.
Structure of the Answer:
Introduction:
Briefly introduce Introduce the concept of gender stereotypes.
Body:
- First discuss the impact of gender stereotypes on self-perception emphasizing portrayal of science and technology as male-dominated fields, influence of media and educational content in reinforcing gender stereotypes.
- Next discuss the impact of gender stereotypes on career choices – Career advice and guidance may be influenced by stereotypes, affect girls’ interest and engagement in science and technology activities, biases and discrimination at workplace, absence of female role models and mentors in STEM fields.
- At last, mention the ways to address the impact of gender stereotyping. –
Conclusion:
Conclude by highlighting the importance of creating an inclusive environment that encourages and supports girls in pursuing careers in science and technology, ultimately leading to greater diversity and innovation in these fields.
General Studies – 2
Topic: Parliament and state legislatures: Functioning
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: The Hindu, Insights on India
Why the question:
The manner in which some Governors have been dealing with legislation passed by the State legislatures is a travesty of the Constitution.
Key Demand of the Question:
Examine the justiciability of the Governor’s assent to state bills, including relevant case laws.
Directive:
Examine- to investigate and analyze the issue of the Governor’s assent to state bills, including relevant case laws and their impact on the legislative process.
Structure of the Answer:
Introduction:
Define the concept of justiciability concerning the Governor’s assent to state bills.
Body:
First part: Recent instances where the Governor’s handling of state bills has been contentious.
Second part: Justiciability of Governor’s Assent
Mention the Governor’s role in giving assent to state bills.
The constitutional provisions related to this process.
Third Part: Analyze key case laws that have addressed the justiciability of the Governor’s assent (e.g., S.R. Bommai v. Union of India).
Conclusion:
Reflect on the need for clarity and reforms in this area to uphold constitutional values.
Topic: Role of civil services in a democracy.
Difficulty level: Easy
Reference: Insights on india
Why the question:
This question is part of the static syllabus of GS Paper 2.
Key Demand of the Question:
Discuss the role of the civil service in shaping policies that meet public needs and its importance in modern government.
Directive:
Discuss- to explore and elaborate on the role of the civil service in modern government, including how it influences policy-making and to provide an informed analysis of its challenges.
Structure of the Answer:
Introduction:
Define the civil services in context of India.
Body:
First part: Role of Civil Service in Policy Making
Policy Formulation, Public Needs Assessment, Administrative Efficiency
Second part: Importance in Modern Government:
Stability and Continuity
Expertise and Experience
Accountability and Integrity
Third part: Some challenges related to civil services in India
Fourth part: Suggest reforms.
Conclusion:
Emphasize its importance for effective governance and public service.
General Studies – 3
Topic: Major crop cropping patterns in various parts of the country
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: The Better India
Why the question:
Union Budget 2024-25 announced push towards Natural Farming
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the potential of natural farming and its limitations as compared to conventional or chemical farming.
Directive word:
Examine – When asked to ‘Examine’, we must investigate the topic (content words) in detail, inspect it, investigate it and establish the key facts and issues related to the topic in question. While doing so we should explain why these facts and issues are important and their implications.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Define natural farming and its principles. Briefly, provide an overview of the concept of natural farming and its growing popularity as an alternative to conventional farming practices.
Body:
Write about the potential of natural farming: e.g – Environmental sustainability, Biodiversity conservation and Resilience to climate change etc.,
Next, write the limitations of natural farming: E.g., Lower productivity, Knowledge and skill requirements, Market demand and scalability etc.,
Briefly compare natural farming with conventional farming practices and give your opinion on whether Natural farming is possible or not.
Conclusion:
Conclude with a balanced opinion
Topic: Disaster and Disaster Management
Difficulty level: Medium
Reference: The Hindu
Why the question:
The recent Wayanad landslides highlight the urgent need to assess and improve India’s disaster management strategies, particularly in hilly regions prone to landslides.
Key Demand of the question:
To critically evaluate India’s disaster management strategies and suggest measures to enhance preparedness and response to landslides.
Directive word:
Evaluate – Examine the strengths and weaknesses of India’s disaster management strategies and provide a balanced judgement.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
- Briefly describe the recent Wayanad landslides and their impact.
Body:
- Mention the effectiveness of current disaster management strategies in India, citing specific examples from the Wayanad incident.
- Next, mention the challenges faced during the rescue and relief operations.
- Next, suggest measures to improve disaster preparedness and response, such as early warning systems, infrastructure improvements, and community awareness programs.
Conclusion:
Conclude with a way forward
General Studies – 4
Topic: Foundational values – Empathy
Q7. What does this quote mean to you?
“Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself.” [10M]
Difficulty level: Medium
Reference: Assam Tribune
Why the question:
The ‘Illness to Wellness’ initiative, a national campaign aimed at generating awareness of various mind and body conditions and providing holistic and broad stakeholder engagements with the overall objective of promoting healthy living, along with the Project Empathy Campaign of ILBS, organized contests for school students in Delhi-NCR.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction: Begin by writing a definition of empathy.
Body:
- First, address what is empathy and its manifestation.
- Then, briefly explain how empathy helps you feel the pain of others.
- Then discuss the limitation of empathy.
- Use examples to justify your points.
Conclusion:
Summarize by writing the significance of empathy in life.
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